Bad Blood
by MusicKeeper
Summary: A mystery on Kamino leads Obi-Wan, Kira, Anakin, and Cadena into a Separatist trap. They have the chance to escape and liberate Tipoca City, but at what cost can they do so? [Sequel to Eyes Open and I Know Places.]
1. To Think About the Good Times

**'ello there, peoples of the earth! **

**I did tell you I hoped it wouldn't be long, and so here I am, once again, back with another Kira story! Yay!**

**I hope I'm not the only one super excited about this. **

**Anyway, I now present Chapter 1 of Bad Blood! Hope y'all enjoy! :)**

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><p>Around 0530, the Jedi Temple was quiet. No footsteps echoed throughout the wide corridors, and no younglings or Padawans chattered excitedly on their way to the training hall. Neon lights from the city penetrated through the glass windows instead of sunlight, and the halls were empty of Jedi going about their duties.<p>

It was Kira Narro's favorite time of the day.

The fully dressed and alert Jedi Padawan entered the training hall, happy to see that no one else had decided to get up for an early training session this morning. She unhooked her lightsaber from her belt and activated it, swinging it in a slow curve. The neon blue glow lit up the room and eliminated the need to turn on any additional lights.

Humming softly to herself, Kira went through the katas of Ataru, her preferred dueling style. Once she'd gone through those a few times, she switched to a reverse grip, something she'd been practicing for a while now. She hadn't quite mastered the reverse grip yet, but that was no reason to stop trying.

Kira's Padawan braid swung as she lunged forward, her saber pointing towards the wall. She swung the saber around in a circle and pressed her lips together in concentration.

The door opened behind Kira, the hissing noise startling her so badly she almost dropped her blade on her foot. And when she finally registered the intruder's Force presence, she sighed under her breath, knowing the company would have some sort of smart remark to make.

Sure enough, when Kira turned around, Caleb Dume stood in the doorway, grinning at her. "Keep that up and the Masters won't have to cut off your braid when you become a Knight," he teased.

"I could always grow it back," Kira retorted, deactivating her lightsaber.

"Hey, I'm just teasing." Caleb sauntered inside, pleased with himself, and unhooked his lightsaber from his belt. Caleb had passed his Initiate Trials a few weeks before and didn't fail to show off his new lightsaber whenever he got a chance. However, even though Caleb could be a cocky, arrogant bastard at times, Kira considered him one of her closest friends.

"What are you doing up so early anyway?" Kira asked. Caleb typically slept in.

Caleb shrugged. "Master Kenobi's taking some of us younglings down to the lower levels of the Temple later this morning. Not all of us have seen the knobs and dials down there," he said, nudging Kira's arm with his elbow.

In answer, Kira punched Caleb lightly on the arm. "It's nothing super special," she said nonchalantly. "As you say, it's just a bunch of knobs and dials."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Caleb flipped his lightsaber hilt in his hand and looked back up at Kira, his cerulean eyes sparkling with mirth.

Kira rubbed her arm, suddenly feeling a a shiver run down her spine. She guessed the vents had just turned on. "I don't mean to. It's just that machines have never been my specialty."

"That's right. You're going to be the next Negotiator," Caleb teased.

Kira rolled her eyes at the name some civilians had begun to call her Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. "No, I'm not. I hate politics."

"Says the girl that went undercover as a senator," Caleb said.

"And you know perfectly well it wasn't exactly by choice." Kira activated her lightsaber again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm in the middle of a training run."

Caleb activated his own lightsaber. "Want to spar?"

Kira considered this request. "Sure."

In response, Caleb took a fighting stance. Kira did the same, holding her blade upright in front of her. Caleb attacked first and lunged forward, hoping to slip his lightsaber under Kira's and point the blade at her neck, but Kira parried with a strike to the side, suddenly on the offensive side of the duel.

It went back and forth like that for a few minutes. Caleb would attack, Kira would block it, and then it would be her turn to attack. Somehow the two duelists turned around in a complete circle, and Caleb forced Kira backwards, close to the wall. Kira pushed him back, but not for long. It was easy to see who would likely win the battle.

_Oh no, you don't. _Kira studied the surrounding area. Caleb held his lightsaber too high for her to jump to safety, and her position against the wall left no room for her to maneuver. Finally she saw a way out of her precarious position. If she could reverse her grip on the saber, she could duck under Caleb's blade and fight off his attack while doing so.

Kira parried one last time before dropping the lightsaber just far enough to turn her wrist and catch it in a reverse grip. Sure enough, she was able to duck through the hole in Caleb's defense and force him backwards into the spot where she'd been standing a few seconds before. She had him pinned in a matter of seconds.

Caleb raised his hands and deactivated his lightsaber, a sign of surrender. "What was that!?" he asked. He tapped Kira's forehead with his index finger. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Kira? The Kira I know doesn't use a reverse grip."

"It's just a little trick I keep up my sleeve, Caleb," Kira laughed, swatting his hand away before powering down her blade.

"Where'd you learn it? I didn't think Master Kenobi used a reverse grip."

"He doesn't." Kira didn't say who had actually taught her, but from the wistful look on Caleb's face, she guessed he had a pretty good idea. "I've been practicing for a while. It's a good emergency trick to use if my hand slips or something."

"Oh." Caleb looked thoughtful. "Could you teach me?"

Before Kira could answer, the door opened again. "Caleb, are you in here?" A girl with brown eyes and dark hair pulled into a ponytail peered inside. "I overheard Master Kenobi saying he was planning to take the younglings to the lower levels around 0700, so you might want to hurry up and get some breakfast. Hey, Kira."

"Hello, Cadena." Kira nodded to her friend and fellow Padawan before looking at the chrono on the wall. It read 0622. "Wow, that's later than I thought it was."

"Everybody seems kind of sleepy today. Or maybe it just seems that way to me because I had to wake Anakin up again." Cadena sat down on the bench in the room.

Caleb shrugged. "It's just you. I'm not tired." That remark was punctuated with a yawn.

Kira and Cadena giggled. Caleb frowned and changed the subject. "Want to come to the mess with me? I'm starving."

Kira couldn't deny that she was hungry. Training worked up her appetite. "Sure, Caleb."

"I'm in." Cadena stood up and made her way to the door. The other two students followed her, eager for some breakfast.

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><p>Later that afternoon, Kira bit her lip as she looked over her datapad. She'd borrowed a few research materials from the Archives and was trying to study them, but the movement in the corner of her eye was making it rather difficult. "Cadena, can you please stop that?" she asked, glancing up to see her friend spinning on a revolving stool she'd found.<p>

Cadena kept spinning. "But I'm _bored_," she drawled. "You told me you'd spar with me."

"Yes, after I finish reading these." Kira ejected the first data card and inserted another into the datapad. "If you can't wait for five minutes, I'm sure Master Skywalker can spar with you."

"No, he can't. He's out."

"Again!?" Kira looked up. "Where is he even going? He seems to be going out a lot."

Cadena stopped spinning for a moment to shrug. "Beats me."

Kira went back to reading...until Cadena started spinning again. Kira sighed loudly. "Cadena, _please _don't make me resort to begging. The sooner you stop spinning, the sooner I can finish reading and the sooner we can spar."

"But reading is _boring. _Can't you do it later?"

"Sorry, Cadena. Just give me a few minutes."

"You said that a few minutes ago!"

"I know." Kira tried once more to read the datapad.

Cadena started spinning again when suddenly, the stool cracked in half and fell to the ground, taking Cadena along with it. The older girl let out a squeak of surprise, her eyes wide. Kira had to laugh. "Are you okay?" she asked, setting down the datapad and reaching out a hand.

Cadena gratefully took Kira's hand and pulled herself up. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, looking down at the stool. "Pity. I was having fun on that thing."

"Spinning or toturing me?"

"Both."

Kira's light punch on Cadena's arm didn't bother the older girl, judging by the massive grin on her face.

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><p>That night, Kira was sitting on her bed to change the power cell in her lightsaber when Obi-Wan entered the quarters they shared as Master and Padawan. This time, she wasn't startled by the sound of the door opening, but she did look up from her work. "Hello, Master."<p>

"Hello, Kira. Changing the power cell?"

"Yes, Master. I won't make that mistake again."

Obi-Wan offered a smile at the mention of the adventure they'd had during a skirmish on Toydaria. Kira's lightsaber had stopped working because she'd forgotten to replace the power cell. "I'm sure you won't."

Kira pressed her lips together in a half smile and went back to her work.

Obi-Wan slipped out of the light robe he wore around the Temple sometimes and laid it on his bed. "Caleb was in the group of younglings I took to visit the lower levels this morning," he said.

That morning was not the first time Obi-Wan had taken younglings to visit different areas of the Temple. Sometimes he took groups on a tour of the Archives. A few times he took groups to the laboratory the Agricultural Corps maintained in the Temple. Typically, however, he took groups to one of the lowest levels of the Temple, the location of the central command center.

Kira perked up at the sound of Caleb's name. "Yeah?" she said nonchalantly, trying not to show how eager she was to hear what Obi-Wan thought of her friend, whom her Master had not met before.

"Yes. He had some interesting comments." Obi-Wan turned his eyes on Kira when she put up her mental shields. Kira inwardly cringed. She should've known her Master would sense when she did that - and definitely be curious why. "Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine, Master."

Obi-Wan sat next to Kira on her bed, careful to avoid sitting on the lightsaber parts scattered around her. "Kira, look at me," he said, gently but firmly.

Kira obeyed and looked up at Obi-Wan, biting her lip as she did so.

Obi-Wan waited a moment before he spoke. "It isn't wrong to have friends," he said carefully. "And I'm not saying you can't see Caleb anymore. However, you need to be careful not to form attachments, my young apprentice. They won't be a problem now, but they can cause problems as you get older."

"Master, I don't-"

Obi-Wan held up a hand. "You haven't formed one yet. All I'm asking you to do is to be careful not to form one. Do you understand?"

Kira held her tongue. "Yes, Master."

"Good." Obi-Wan squeezed Kira's shoulder gently before he stood up and headed toward the refresher. Kira returned to working on her lightsaber, mental shields still up.

Obi-Wan stopped and turned back to Kira, his hand a few inches from the button that would open the door. "One more thing, Kira."

Kira looked up from the power cell. "Yes, Master?"

"Your mental shields are much better than they used to be." With that, Obi-Wan pressed the button and disappeared into the refresher, the door sliding shut behind him.

Kira smiled a little at the compliment as she looked back down at the disassembled lightsaber, eager to finish before bed.

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><p><strong>By now, you probably know that Star Wars: The Clone Wars does not belong to me and that Cadena belongs to katierosefun. I just play around with them and make plans, and man, have I got quite the plans for the crew!<strong>

**Kira: You know, that foreshadowing poodoo is starting to get annoying. **

**Me: Meh. Everything I do annoys you.**

**Kira: Um, yeah, it does. Can you please stop dancing now?**

**Me: No! I like this song!**

**Kira: ...it's the cantina band song.**

**Me: I know. *continues dancing***

**Kira: *facepalm***

**Me: I'll stop dancing if you do the review notice. **

**Kira: It's worth it. Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. **

**Me: Very well. *stops dancing* Thanks for clicking in, everyone, and may the Force be with you always!**


	2. Now We Got Problems

**'ello, peoples of the earth! **

**Did I trick you by not updating yesterday? Heehee, no worries, peoples. Like last time, I have a plan for updating regularly. Hopefully that makes y'all happy.**

**To Lux's Sister: I don't know. Would you like them to have a thing going on? ;)**

**Anyway, I now present Chapter 2 of Bad Blood! Hope y'all enjoy!**

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><p>Kira awoke to someone gently shaking her shoulder. "Kira, wake up," she heard Obi-Wan say.<p>

At that, Kira's eyes popped open. She was _always _awake before Obi-Wan unless she was sick, and she didn't feel sick at all. Then she remembered once when the Council had commed Obi-Wan in the middle of the night about an urgent situation on the moon of Ruusan. He'd had to wake her up at midnight.

Kira stretched under her blankets, relieved to see that it was still dark outside. "What time is it, Master?" she mumbled out of curiosity.

"0100," Obi-Wan replied. He looked apologetic for having to wake Kira up so early. "The Council has called us upstairs. It seems there's been a problem on Kamino with the clone factories."

"With the clone factories?" Kira repeated, blinking to clear the sleepiness from her eyes and sitting up.

"Master Windu didn't share all the details," Obi-Wan said as Kira went to grab some clothes from the drawer. "He only said there's a situation with the clone factories and that we must report to the Council chambers immediately."

Kira nodded to acknowledge Obi-Wan's explanation and ducked into the refresher to change. Quickly she discarded her sleepwear and tugged on her tunic and leggings. When she emerged, she grabbed her utility belt from where it hung near the dresser and began prepping it, mentally checking off the items she might need in her head. _Lightsaber, underwater breather, protein cubes..._

Kira finished and was ready to go in minutes. Obi-Wan looked pleased with her efficency.

The Master and Padawan grabbed their cloaks and hurried through the darkened Temple corridors to the turbolift. The ride upstairs was silent, but tension filled the air between them.

Finally they arrived at the Council chambers. Obi-Wan entered first, Kira following close behind. She focused on keeping her mental shields up, hoping to mask her trepidation at this untold mission.

"Waiting on your former apprentice and his Padawan, we are," Yoda said to Obi-Wan. "Brief you, we will, when they arrive."

Surprisingly, the Council (and Kira) did not have to wait long - a miracle, considering Anakin's reputation for tardiness. He entered the Council chambers a moment after Yoda made his statement, bleary-eyed with sleep. Cadena didn't look much better than her Master.

Kira really hoped she didn't have dark circles under her eyes like Anakin did. She bounced a little on the balls of her feet, waiting for the briefing to begin.

Mace was the first to speak. He was direct and quick to get to the point. "Ths cloners on Kamino have reported explosions in key areas of their cloning facilities," he said gravely. "They have taken precautions to take care of overheating and other such problems, but to no avail. Explosions continue to plague the facilities. They have come to the Council requesting an investigation."

Now this was serious. The Kaminoans controlled the facilities that bred the clones for the Grand Army of the Republic. If certain areas of these facilities were taken out, it would take much time to repair them, and so would take time to clone fresh troops for the Army. The Republic would be dealt a critical blow if someone - namely the Separatists - were to render the Kaminoan cloning factories unable to produce clones.

"Separatist involvement, perhaps?" Anakin asked. He seemed more alert now that he'd heard what they were dealing with.

"We believe so." Mace shifted in his chair. "However, an investigation must be conducted to find out exactly what is causing the problem. So we are sending the four of you to take care of this investigation - and deal with the cause of these explosions."

"Fail, you must not," Yoda added seriously. "In a precarious position, the Republic will find itself, if you do."

"That's why we won't fail," Cadena spoke up, radiating confidence and the slightest hint of cockiness.

"Make sure you don't," said Mace, concluding the meeting as he looked at the four Jedi in front of him. "May the Force be with you all."

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><p>"You know, I'm actually looking forward to this mission. It was starting to get a little boring around here," Cadena commented. She looked over at Anakin, who was discussing probable strategies with Obi-Wan in the event that they did find that Separatists were involved in these explosions. "Don't they look tense?"<p>

"They're planning for a mission. Of course they look tense," Kira replied. She fidgeted with her belt. "It shouldn't be too hard. It's not a standard op, true, but it sounds pretty simple."

"Then you've never been on a mission with Anakin. Things are never simple with him involved," Cadena said, grinning.

Kira looked over at the Masters again. "Let's hope this time's different."

Cadena shrugged.

Obi-Wan and Anakin finished their discussion and made their way to where the Padawans were standing. "We're going to take the _Resolute _to Kamino," Anakin told them. "Then we're going to take two teams to the surface - Cody's troops with Obi-Wan and Kira and Rex's troops with me and Cadena. We shouldn't have too much trouble, but there will be a few squadrons standing by on the _Resolute _just in case. Any questions?"

Kira and Cadena shook their heads.

"Good. Then let's get going." Anakin turned on his heel and started walking toward the shuttle that would take them to the _Resolute. _"Come on, Cadena."

Cadena smiled at Kira before she took off after Anakin.

Obi-Wan shook his head and gestured for Kira to follow. She obeyed, hurrying to catch up with her Master and match his stride.

Obi-Wan and Kira boarded the shuttle after Anakin and Cadena and grabbed the straps above their heads. A few clones were already inside and ready to go. They didn't say a word, but Kira could sense their concern for their homeworld and their brothers that still remained in Tipoca City, the location of the cloning facilities.

Soon, the shuttle closed the blast doors and lifted up, slightly jolting all of the occupants. Kira held on a little tighter to her strap. She couldn't see outside, but she knew the shuttle was flying out of the hangar and lifting into the dark Couruscant sky. She looked over at Obi-Wan, who seemed to be deep in thought, and elected not to disturb him.

Once the shuttle arrived on the _Resolute_, Anakin immediately headed out of the hangar to the bridge with Cadena in tow. Obi-Wan and Kira headed to the war room, for they had promised the 212th that they would be there to brief the troops when they arrived.

Clone Commander Cody of the 212th entered the war room and saluted Obi-Wan and Kira. "Reporting for duty, General," he said.

"At ease, Cody," Obi-Wan said. "Where are the others?"

"On their way, sir. There was a problem with one of the shuttles and the troopers had to transfer."

Obi-Wan nodded in acknowledgement and returned to the hologram he'd set up, making a few adjustments.

Cody turned to face Kira. "Commander," he greeted her with a smile.

Kira had to smile back. "It's Kira, Cody."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Did you sleep well?"

"Until Trapper woke me and told me our brothers need our help, yes, I did. You?"

"I did, thanks." Kira could sense Cody's concern, although one didn't need the Force to see how tightly the commander gripped his helmet under his arm and hear the trepidation in his voice. Kira put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Kamino will be fine, I promise. Especially with loyal, brave men like those in the 212th to protect it."

Cody offered a weak smile. "Thanks, Kira."

The door opened, and the rest of the troopers of the 212th filed in the room, greeting their commanders and their general as they came. After the pleasantries had been exchanged, Obi-Wan signaled to Kira to begin the briefing.

"As you all know, the cloning facilities on Kamino have suffered from explosions in various areas," Kira explained. "All we need to do is search for the cause. There could be something wrong with the facility itself. There could be Separatist involvement. We don't know, and we're going to find out. For safety's sake, be on guard at all times and stay out of the way as much as possible. We can't afford to warn the Separatists of our arrival if they are involved." She looked over to Obi-Wan, who nodded. "That is all. Are there any questions?"

Negative murmurs came from the troopers.

"All right then. We have about seven hours until we reach Kamino. Get some rest, men," said Obi-Wan. His request was met with no resistance - quite the opposite, in fact.

Obi-Wan and Kira were last to exit the war room and watched as troopers headed off in the direction of the bunks or the mess. Kira suddenly felt a yawn coming on and pressed a hand to her mouth.

Kira liked missions, but she didn't like it too much when she had to get up at midnight to start one.

"You look tired," Obi-Wan commented, eyeing Kira with concern.

Kira shook her head. "I'll manage," she said.

Obi-Wan didn't look convinced but instead rather skeptical. "Kira, it would be best if you got some rest, too. The clones aren't the only ones that need it."

"I'll manage, Master," Kira repeated. She fought off the wave of sleepiness that overcame her. "I'm going to go look over those data cards again. I'll be finished soon."

"Get some rest," Obi-Wan called after the Padawan.

Once she knew she was out of sight, Kira shook her head and turned down the corridor toward her quarters on the ship. She didn't like it when Obi-Wan worried about her like that. True, it was nice to have someone to worry about her, but sometimes all the worrying could make Kira feel..._restricted. _

It wasn't good to feel restricted on a mission.

Kira approached the door to her bunk and pressed the button to open the door. Inside, she picked up her datapad from the small cot and sat down, looking over the info on Kamino she'd downloaded. She read about the furious storms that could drench a life form within seconds and wind gusts that could knock a life form off one of the platforms of Tipoca City if they were not careful.

All the while as she read, Kira wasn't really digesting anything. She'd read all this before, and she kept on yawning. It wasn't the information that bored her - no, Kira liked learning about planets she'd never seen before.

Force, she _was _tired.

Kira lay her entire body down on the cot and propped herself up on one elbow to continue reading the datapad. Her eyelids drooped, and she shook her head to get rid of the fog in her brain. Her efforts were to no avail, for she continued to get sleepier.

_Maybe a little nap wouldn't be so bad, _Kira thought as she finally closed her eyes and drifted off, dropping the datapad onto the pillow.

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><p>Kira woke a little while later. Blinking, she sat up and looked around. Then she remembered where she was and how she'd gotten there, and an surge of anticipation ran through her. She smoothed her hair and raced out into the corridor, wondering how long it would be until the ship reached Kamino.<p>

Clones going about their business nodded to Kira as she made her way through the hall to the bridge of the ship, where she was certain her Master would be. Sure enough, he was there, speaking to Anakin and Admiral Yularen, commander of the _Resolute. _Cadena was nowhere to be seen.

The men finished just as Kira approached, and the admiral turned back to the men in the bridge while Obi-Wan looked up to see Kira. "There you are," he greeted her. "I was just about to send Cody to find you. We've almost arrived."

Anakin kept looking over his shoulder. "Speaking of which, I might have to go drag Cadena up here," he scowled. "Excuse me."

Kira watched the older man storm off. Obi-Wan chuckled. "Sooner or later she was going to start being late, too."

Kira changed the subject. "How far away are we, Master?"

Before Obi-Wan could answer, the ship dropped out of hyperspace, and a gorgeous dark blue orb came into view. Flashes of light, the lightning storms Kira had read about, peeked through the blue every so often.

"I suppose there's your answer," Obi-Wan said. He turned to Admiral Yularen. "Prep the shuttles. We're going in."

"As you wish, sir."

At that, Kira reluctantly turned away from the blue marble and followed Obi-Wan off the bridge. Excited butterflies fluttered around her stomach as she and Obi-Wan headed to the hangar to board the shuttle that would take them to the planet below.

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><p><strong>Kira, why do you look annoyed again?<strong>

**Kira: Because you're back on that video editor.**

**Me: Forgive me if I'm a little obsessive over this-**

**Kira: A little?**

**Me: Don't interrupt me. Do you realize how long I've wanted to try making a Clone Wars video?**

**Obi-Wan: While you have a point, Amy, those do not look like Clone Wars characters. **

**Me: STOP LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER! -_-**

**Kira: *sigh* Are you almost done that video?**

**Me: Yes. Then I promise I'll try it with the Clone Wars. Okay?**

**Kira: Okay.**

**Me: Okay. Obi-Wan, do the review notice.**

**Obi-Wan: I know better than to argue. Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. **

**Me: Very good. Thanks for clicking in, peoples! May the Force be with you!**


	3. Don't Think We Can Solve Them

**'ello, peoples of the earth! **

**Thanks goes out to katierosefun, CaylithTheGolden, and Lux's Sister for reviewing the last two chapters. I'm sorry I forgot to thank you in the last chapter - I assure you that it was unintentional.**

**And now, I present Chapter 3 of Bad Blood! Hope y'all enjoy!**

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><p>The ride down to Kamino was a relatively smooth one until the shuttle entered the stormy atmosphere. Thunder shook the ship, sending the passengers stumbling into each other. Kira accidentally stepped on Cody's foot when the shuttle swerved to avoid a lightning strike. "Sorry," she apologized.<p>

Cody just smiled at her. "It's fine," he replied.

Kira gripped the strap above her head a little tighter and used her other hand to adjust her utility belt. The ship swerved again, sending Kira and some of the clones sliding toward the side of the ship. Kira was grateful that the clone pilot had kept the blast doors shut.

Finally the shuttle reached the ground and landed with a thump. The pilot opened the blast doors to allow the passengers to exit. Wind immediately blew the rain into the open shuttle, and Obi-Wan and Kira pulled up the hoods of their cloaks before they stepped outside, the troopers following behind. Everyone made their way across the landing pad as fast as they could without slipping and falling off the platform into the waves below.

The Kaminoan Taun We waited at the door to greet the visitors. "Welcome, Master Jedi," she said. "We are grateful for your swift response."

Obi-Wan nodded in reply. "Thank you for warning us. Have all the necessary precautions been carried out?"

"All of them. I've even made certain the men that guard the facility have been increased, yet the explosions still occur."

"You were right to call. May we have permission to search the facility?"

"Of course. If there is anything you need to aid you, do not hesitate to ask."

"All you can do for the moment is make sure everyone in the facility goes about their normal business. Pretend we aren't even here."

Taun We gave a small bow and left to carry out Obi-Wan's instructions.

Obi-Wan turned to Kira and the rest of the men. "We will spread out in groups of two. Search the facility high and low; let nothing escape your notice. Comm me at once if you find anything unusual."

"Sir, yes, sir!"

With that, the search was on.

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><p>Kira ended up heading with Cody to the DNA chambers of the facility. The bright lights of the room blinded Kira as soon as she opened the door. "Why, for the Force's sake, do the Kaminoans have to keep the lights so bright?" she asked sarcastically, blinking as her eyes became accustomed to the pale lighting.<p>

Cody shrugged. "Maybe it's a substitute for sunlight," he said, "since the rain never stops."

Kira decided this would be a good time to be diplomatic and stop the conversation. "I suppose," she said vaguely, still inwardly fuming about the lights.

Cody shook his head. "Let's just keep looking."

So they did. Kira was silent as she scoured the chamber, searching for anything out of the ordinary. In

truth, it would certainly help if she knew what she was looking for.

"So what exactly is it that we're looking for?" Cody asked out loud, voicing the Padawan's thoughts out loud.

Kira stepped in front of the storage unit that held the vials of solution. When she turned, she accidentally hit her knee on the edge.

A beeping noise suddenly reached the Padawan's ears. Something small was making that noise, a high-pitched squeal that sounded eerily familiar...

Kira hurriedly stepped back, banging into the wall in her hurry. "Something like that!" she said, pointing to the source of the noise. A small bomb hidden under the controls flashed red to signal activation. She and Cody had seconds to get out at best.

Cody didn't ask for Kira to elaborate, for he knew the noise all too well. "Hurry!" he shouted, already heading for the door. Kira was closer and got there first, hurriedly clicking the button. The door opened, and the two commanders ran into the corridor just before the bomb inside exploded.

The blast of air from the explosion knocked Kira to the ground. Cody fell, too, and crawled over to shield Kira from any debris that might fly into the corridor. When finally Kira thought the danger had passed, she sat up, breathing hard. "You okay, Cody?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same thing, Commander," Cody said. He stood up and offered Kira a hand.

"I'm fine." Kira didn't add that she would most likely be sporting a large bruise on her left knee when they returned to Coruscant.

"We need to alert the General." Cody tapped the comlink on his wrist and waited for Obi-Wan to answer. Static came through at first, and Kira rocked on the balls of her feet, hoping the Separatists hadn't learned of their arrival and jammed their communications.

Finally Obi-Wan answered, to Kira's immense relief. "Cody, it's good to hear from you. We've received a report of another explosion in your sector."

"Well, that makes sense, General," Cody replied. "Commander Narro and I found the source. A bomb was implanted in the DNA chamber."

"Hm." Kira knew Obi-Wan was thinking. She pictured him stroking his beard as he thought of a way to handle the situation. "We'll regroup in the corridor outside the landing pad. Be there in fifteen minutes."

"As you wish, General."

"One more thing, Cody."

"Yes?"

Kira eyed the comlink on Cody's wrist, wondering what else her Master might have to say.

"Is Commander Narro alright?"

Cody looked up to meet Kira's eyes before he answered. "She's just fine, General."

"Copy that, Cody." The click of the comlink let Cody and Kira know that Obi-Wan had disconnected the call.

Kira gave a small smile to Cody when he looked up. "Shall we get going?" she asked.

Cody was hiding a grin underneath his helmet; his voice betrayed him. "You sound just like your Master," he said. "'Shall'? Really?"

Kira just shrugged and grinned back, and the two commanders headed back the way they'd come.

* * *

><p>When Kira and Cody arrived at the rendezvous, they found Obi-Wan, Trapper, and the rest of the 212th. Kira also spotted some troopers from the 501st, Anakin's squadron, and guessed that Obi-Wan must have alerted Anakin of the situation at hand. It wasn't a surprise that Anakin himself was late. Again.<p>

At last Anakin and Cadena appeared, a bit winded from running. Kira couldn't help but notice that her Master seemed extremely frustrated with his former apprentice.

"Now that we've all arrived," Obi-Wan said, sending a pointed look in Anakin's direction. The younger man smirked. Obi-Wan ignored this and continued. "We can discuss the plan. I've had one of the astromech droids here scan the facility for extensive amounts of radiation and download the coordinates." Obi-Wan gestured to the R6 unit next to him. "I will have the droid transmit the coordinates of each bomb to your communicators. Be mindful. These bombs are apparently activated when they detect motion, and they will be hidden well."

Affirmative grunts came from the troopers to acknowledge Obi-Wan's statement.

Obi-Wan dismissed them, and most of the troopers dispersed to conduct the search while the rest stayed behind to await further orders. Kira was one of those that stayed behind. She was thinking. She always thought better when she was still.

One thing about the entire operation concerned Kira. If an R6 unit had been able to locate all of the bombs with a simple scan, why hadn't the Kaminoans detected it first? Taun We had claimed that the cloners had taken all necessary precautions, and Kira knew that one of the first things they would've checked for would be overheating. It was standard procedure on a facility such as this.

And one thing that could cause overheating was excessive radiation. It would've been one of the first things they scanned for.

So why hadn't the Kaminoans found the bombs first?

"Kira?"

Kira looked up when she heard Obi-Wan's voice. Her Master looked a little concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Of course, Master." Kira took a step forward and lowered her voice. "But something about all this bothers me."

"And what is that?"

"The Kaminoans should've found those bombs first," Kira continued. "When they scanned for radiation, the bombs would have showed up."

Obi-Wan nodded. "That concerns me as well, my young apprentice. The Kaminoans have extremely advanced technology that could easily find those bombs."

"So that could only mean one thing."

"Yes."

Kira felt shivers run down her spine as she said the words. "Someone on the inside is working for Count Dooku."

* * *

><p>"Do you know how to deactivate one of these things?" Cody asked. He and Kira had been sent back to the DNA chambers. The R6 droid's scan had revealed that three of the bombs were located in the area.<p>

Kira thought for a moment. "I've learned how to deactivate several different bombs," she remarked. "I know there are some that can be deactivated with a lightsaber and others that will blow if anything touches them. I don't know about motion-activated bombs, but I have a feeling we won't be able to touch them."

"Then how are we going to get them offline?"

"I'm thinking about it."

Cody took the hint and stayed quiet while Kira contemplated the situation. "I'll need to see the model," she said finally.

Cody snorted. "Really?" he said. "You want to get up close and personal with a bomb that could blow up in your face any second?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

They walked into one of the chambers, and Kira scanned the room. She bent down to check under the controls, but her search ended with no results. Cody turned on the scanners in his helmet to help her.

Kira searched the other control panels, pausing if she thought she heard something suspicious. Finally she happened to glance upward, and she pointed. "There," she told Cody, who turned to look.

More storage units had been built into the walls in this chamber, and the bomb had been inserted behind one of the vials of solution inside. It was difficult to see unless you were standing in the right place, and even then it was hard for Kira to see. However, she was certain that if she were to reach for that particular vial, she and Cody would get blown sky-high.

"Stand back," Kira told Cody, who obeyed and stood back against the door. With Cody prepared for an emergency exit, Kira was able to push her worries about the commander's safety to the back of her mind and concentrate on the task at hand.

Kira raised her hand and closed her eyes. The vial concealing the bomb from view shifted and slowly lifted off the shelf in the storage unit, floating towards the middle of the room. When Kira opened her eyes again, the vial was suspended in midair.

She couldn't help but smile a little. The Force came in handy in times like these.

Kira loosened her hold on the vial, and it plunged downwards straight into Cody's hand. She sent a quick grin his way before she turned back to the storage unit.

The hard part was over. Now it was time for the _really _hard part.

Taking a breath, Kira raised her hand again and focused. This time, she didn't close her eyes, for fear she might lose her grip on the bomb and drop it, activating it and setting off another explosion.

The bomb rolled a little before floating off the shelf. Kira carefully guided it down to her eye level and studied it for a moment. Finally, she gently lowered the bomb to the ground. "It doesn't have motion sensors," she said. "It does have heat sensors. I'm guessing that my knee accidentally hit the bomb and triggered the sensor."

"And Kaminoans have a much higher body temperature than other humanoids."

"Exactly." Kira crouched to inspect the bomb once more. "If I didn't touch the bomb, I could've lifted the solution out of the unit with no problem. But a Kaminoan..." She shook her head.

Cody got down to business. "How do we get the bomb offline?"

Kira stood back up. "Well, we certainly can't use weapons, that's for sure. It looks like it can also be controlled remotely."

"And someone has to have that control."

"Yes."

"Then let's get going. We'll report to the general on the way."

Kira couldn't think of a better idea.

* * *

><p><strong>I have something to ask of you guys. Typically I post covers to my YouTube channel, but I recently decided to begin making fan edits (since I've wanted to do them for some time and finally found the tools to make them). I uploaded my first edit yesterday, so if any of you happen to like <strong>_**Star Wars: Rebels**_**, do you think you could drop by my channel and watch the edit? Maybe leave a comment and tell me how I did? The link to my channel is on my profile page. Thanks in advance. :) **

**Kira: Do you have no shame?**

**Me: Hey, it's free marketing. *shrug***

**Kira: *facepalm***

**Anakin: *pressing on my touch screen* Where the frack is that song -**

**Tablet: I LIKE A PUNK ROCK CHICK WITH HAIR JUST LIKE RIHANNA AND A-**

**Cadena: NOPE! *reaches over Anakin to press button***

**Anakin: Hey! I liked that song!**

**Tablet: DEAR FUTURE HUSBAND, HERE'S A FEW THINGS YOU'LL NEED TO KNOW-**

**Cadena: *dancing* **

**Obi-Wan: Are you two quite finished?**

**Both: NO!**

**Me: Anakin, do the review notice.**

**Anakin: But-**

**Me: *glares***

**Anakin: Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. **

**Me: Thanks, and thanks to y'all for clicking in! May the Force be with you always! **

**Tablet: I CAN'T REMEMBER TO FORGET YOU!**

**Me: Somebody cut that down! -_-**


	4. Thinking That You Could Be Trusted

**'ello, peoples of the earth! **

**Skittles, chocolate, and cinnamon buns (basically a lot of sugary food) make for a pretty good Saturday. :)**

**I have more reviewers to thank today - Zenkid100, katierosefun, Lux's Sister, and CaylithTheGolden, thank you so much for your kind comments! (One thing - why the flip was everyone so focused on the bombs? :/)**

**Anyway, without further ado, I present Chapter 4 of Bad Blood! Hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Once Kira and Cody delivered their report, Obi-Wan immediately warned the troopers and other Jedi via comlink not to use weapons on the bombs. He then told everyone to meet up in the bunkers, where they would not be disturbed at this time of day. (Clone cadets would be training or visiting the mess.)<p>

Soon, everyone had gathered in the bunkers, and Obi-Wan delivered the news to the rest of the group. "The bombs are triggered by heat," he told them. "We cannot touch them, or we might destroy part of the facility along with ourselves."

"We could use the Force to crush them," Cadena piped up hopefully.

Obi-Wan considered this. "I'm sorry, Padawan. While it's a good idea, it would take too long for four Jedi to dismantle the bombs, and whoever is setting these bombs will simply plant new ones."

"Then what can we do?" Anakin asked, frustrated.

Obi-Wan turned to his former apprentice with a twinkle in his eye. "Apparently these bombs can only be dismantled through a remote control," he said. "The perpetrator must have the control, and I do know how much you enjoy aggressive negotiations."

Anakin was visibly more interested, as was Cadena.

"The men will set up a defensive perimeter in and around the facility," Obi-Wan continued, turning his attention to the troopers. "They will watch for anything unusual and alert us at once if something happens."

The men saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Good." With a nod, Obi-Wan dismissed the troopers and sent them to their posts. The room cleared almost immediately, leaving Anakin, Obi-Wan, Cadena and Kira alone.

"And while they're doing that," Anakin said, inquisitive as always, "what's our plan?"

"We're going to do a little more investigating."

Groans leapt from Anakin's and Cadena's throats. Kira nudged Cadena with her elbow. "It's not that bad!" she said cheerfully. "In any case, it's better than negotiations."

"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed. "Who doesn't love a good mystery?"

"I don't," Cadena sighed. "Get the facts and go home, that's what I'd like to do."

"Hm. Unfortunately, that's not a luxury you have right now."

Cadena scowled. "There's a lot of luxuries I don't have right now. Like, hm, I don't know, time, sleep, real food instead of protein cubes - I really miss that -"

Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin. "I see Anakin has been rubbing off on you, Cadena."

Kira giggled.

Anakin sighed exasperatedly and grabbed Cadena's wrist, interrupting her rant. "Let's just go and finish the mission," he grumbled.

Behind Anakin's back, Obi-Wan and Kira exchanged grins.

* * *

><p>The first thing the Jedi did was obtain the names of the Kaminoans on the team that had investigated the cause of the explosions before calling on the Jedi for help. Taun We put together the list for them and wished them luck before she left the room.<p>

"Rae Gaila, radiation expert," Kira read aloud from the list. "It seems he was the one who spearheaded the investigation."

"Then we should talk to him first," Anakin commented. He held his hand out for the datapad on which the names were listed. Kira handed him the datapad and folded her hands on the table the four Jedi were seated at.

Anakin skimmed the list, occasionally scrolling downwards. "He's not the only one," he told the others. He handed the datapad back to Kira. "There are a bunch of Kaminoans on that list that specialize in radiation. I suggest we focus the investigation on them."

"Good call," Obi-Wan praised Anakin as they stood up. Kira rolled her eyes. The last thing they needed on this mission was the inflammation of Anakin's insufferable ego.

Cadena spoke. "So how are we going to present this news to the investigative team? Just walk in and tell them we believe there is a Separatist sympathizer in their midst?"

"Basically." Anakin smirked.

Kira raised an eye marking. "That's not too subtle, Master Skywalker. I believe this investigation should be conducted with subtlety. After all, this sympathizer may in fact be a spy. If he or she is in contact with Grievous or even Dooku, wouldn't they first transmit a message alerting the Separatists of our presence?"

"Subtlety has never been one of Anakin's strong points," Obi-Wan said. He ignored Anakin's cry of indignation and continued. "Kira is right. It's best to simply observe the team and find out what is going on. The only one we should alert is Rae Gaila, I think, since he was in charge of the investigation."

Cadena crossed her arms. "Three to one, Master," she said smugly.

Anakin scowled. "Hey, can you blame me if I want to get this mission over with?" he said, prompting another round of banter with Cadena that continued as the four Jedi exited the room and headed into the corridor.

"All this time and he still can't resist the urge to bicker," Obi-Wan murmured, more to himself than to Kira.

"I'm sure Master Skywalker will fix that in due time," Kira ventured in an attempt to reassure her Master.

Obi-Wan sighed a little. "I do hope so. We need him to concentrate on the mission at hand."

"I heard that!" Anakin called over his shoulder.

* * *

><p>The Jedi arrived at the central command center of the facility and opened the door to a flurry of activity. Kaminoans rushed to and fro, some adjusting the formation of the droids in the practice arenas using touch screens and others observing the feeds from security cameras. Still others stood at hologram scanners, running scans over the facility.<p>

Obi-Wan politely inquired about Rae Gaila to a Kaminoan passing by, and she pointed out a tall male Kaminoan near one of the scanners. Kira followed Obi-Wan in that direction while Anakin stayed behind, interested in one of the screens showing the practice arenas. Cadena stood by him, even though she sent a glance Kira's way that said, _Think you can get me out of this?_ Kira replied with an apologetic shrug.

The Kaminoans at the scanner bowed their heads when Obi-Wan and Kira approached. Rae Gaila was the one to speak first. "Welcome, Master Jedi," he addressed Obi-Wan. "How may we be of assistance?"

"Actually, we were here to speak to you," Obi-Wan said cheerfully. "Is there someplace private we could talk?"

Kira was almost certain she saw a flicker of emotion on Rae's face, but whatever it was quickly vanished. "Of course," he said. He gestured for them to follow him.

On the way, Anakin and Cadena joined them. Obi-Wan and Kira stayed a little ways behind while the others introduced themselves. Kira's thoughts strayed away from the conversation she knew they would have with Rae and back to whatever it was she'd seen on the Kaminoan's face. Now that she thought about it, it had looked like he was...

_Scared._

But scared of what, exactly?

Scared of their lightsabers? People had been frightened of the fact that the Jedi carried lightsabers around with them all the time.

Scared of speaking with the Jedi alone? _Intimidated, maybe_, Kira mused, _but_ _definitely not scared_.

Unless he'd done something wrong.

Now that made sense. If Rae knew something or had done something, of course he'd be scared of being alone with four Jedi. And at the moment, Kira was almost certain that was what was going on. Rae's fear rolled off of him in waves.

Apparently Rae had picked up on Kira's suspicion, for he suddenly turned and ran back the way they'd come. Kira let out a startled gasp as he pushed between her and Obi-Wan.

"After him!" Anakin snarled, drawing his lightsaber.

Kira broke into a run after Rae, keeping him in her sight line at all times. Clones and cadets moved out of her way to avoid getting run over, a maintenance clone or two dropping their supplies in surprise. She ignored them, focused on the chase, and used one finger to activate the comlink on her wrist. Bringing her wrist close to her face, she spoke into the communicator. "Cody, come in!"

Static met her ears, then she heard Cody's familiar voice. "What is it, Commander?"

"Alert the men in your sector. A suspected traitor is headed your way."

"Traitor, ma'am?"

"We think so. He started running before we could question him." _And running makes you look guilty. _She'd learned that lesson a year ago.

"We'll keep our eyes peeled."

"Copy that, Cody." With that, Kira disconnected the call.

Rae kept looking back over his shoulder. Kira hoped he was disappointed with the distance she'd gained on him.

At last, Rae began to pant from the exercise, and Kira was able to use the Force to leap in front of him. She heard troopers arriving behind her to back her up, the sounds of their boots clicking against the floor giving them away. Her lightsaber was out and ignited within seconds. "Going somewhere?"

If Rae's wide eyes became any larger, Kira was certain they would pop right out of his head. She almost laughed as he turned right back around only to run into Cadena, Anakin and Obi-Wan as they raced around the corner.

Anakin grabbed Rae's thin wrists and kept a firm hold on them. "Nice try, sleemo, but we're taking you in," Anakin growled. "We've got some questions for you."

"I won't talk!" Rae insisted as Anakin dragged him away, Cadena on their tail. "I won't!"

"Yeah, tell that to a mind trick," Kira muttered. She deactivated her lightsaber.

Without warning, Obi-Wan's comlink began to go off. He raised his wrist to his face. "Kenobi here."

"Sir, have you found the traitor?"

"Yes, Cody. General Skywalker is taking him in for questioning now. What's the problem?"

"No problem, sir, but we believe we found out how the traitor received the bombs without detection. I think you'll want to see this."

"Stay there," Obi-Wan ordered. "Maintain your position. We'll come to you."

"Copy that, General."

Obi-Wan disconnected the call and turned to Kira. "Let's get going."

"Yes, Master."

With that, the Master and Padawan took off down the corridor.

* * *

><p>The wind whipped Kira's damp cloak around her knees as she and Obi-Wan headed toward the edge of the defensive perimeter, where Cody was located. The platform was slippery from constant rainstorms, and Kira found herself calling on the Force to keep herself steady.<p>

When they approached, they found Cody, Trapper and another clone crouching on the ground to get a better look at something. Cody was the first to notice Obi-Wan and Kira. "General, Commander," he said with a nod. He gestured to whatever it was in front of him. "Our guess is that the traitor had arranged a place for it to be dropped off. A drone flew it in."

"Drones? That's a new one." Kira knelt to observe the object. A small box lay in the middle of the circle of clones, the lid already taken off.

Inside lay several bombs.

Obi-Wan studied the box as well. "Well, at least we know how Rae got the bombs. This proves he had Separatist support."

"What should we do with them, Master?" Kira asked.

Obi-Wan thought for a moment, then turned to Cody. "Have a few troopers return to the _Resolute _and drop these off at the medbay. The scientists there will study them."

"Yes, sir."

"Then have the men tell Admiral Yularen to scan the system. There has to be a ship delivering these bombs, and we will be ready for them when they attack."

* * *

><p><strong>I feel like Obi-Wan was a little OOC ... sorry. And Cody! Guys, am I doing Cody alright? Sorry - I get really paranoid about characters acting OOC, and I've never done Cody before. Sorry. <strong>

**Kira: Would you **_**please **_**stop apologizing!?**

**Me: I'm concerned that you sounded a lot like Minister Tua just now. O.O**

**Kira: Well, what can you expect when you cram SWR episodes into your brain like you have been lately? Sabine's trashed my room three times already!**

**Ezra: *pokes head in* Make that four times.**

**Kira: ARGH!**

**Obi-Wan: Kira, it might be best to show some patience at the moment. Remember, it could be worse. **

**Me: Oh, yes. Ezra could've stolen your lightsaber or something. **

**Kira: Don't give him ideas. **

**Ezra: *whistles* **

**Kira: *looks down at belt* EZRA! *chases Ezra from the room***

**Me: Okay then.**

**Obi-Wan: Shall I do the review notice?**

**Me: Yes, please.**

**Obi-Wan: Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. Thank you for your consideration. **

**Me: Thanks for clicking in, everyone. May the Force be with you always! **

**Kira: GET BACK HERE, YOU KLEPTOMANIAC!**

**Me: Kids. *shakes head***

**Obi-Wan: I sense a headache coming on.**


	5. Don't Think It's In The Past

**'ello, peoples of the earth! **

**Zenkid100, katierosefun, CaylithTheGolden, and Lux's Sister, thank you all for reviewing! I swear that you guys are just little balls of sunshine. I do a little happy dance when I receive the email alerts. Thanks for making my day! :)**

**Now, without further ado, I present Chapter 5 of Bad Blood! Hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Back inside the facility, Kira and Obi-Wan were reunited with Anakin and Cadena, who had been able to coax the remote controller out of Rae's possession and deactivate the bombs. Troopers were gathering the bombs as they spoke.<p>

"Did we ever find out how Rae was getting these bombs?" Anakin asked.

"Separatist drones," Obi-Wan replied. "They may be planning another attack."

"That would be foolish," Anakin commented. "We've had the entire system on high alert since the last attack."

"And the last one was a surprise attack," Obi-Wan countered. "If they were to attack again, they'd find a new way to do so. You mustn't underestimate the Separatists, Anakin."

Kira and Cadena sat together on a bench nearby, listening to their Masters and waiting for a task. Kira was secretly hoping the Masters would ask her and Cadena to go help gather the bombs. Cadena hadn't said a word since she and Anakin had taken Rae into custody, and she looked like she'd eaten something sour. Not to mention that her Force signature was disturbed.

Kira intended to find out what had caused Cadena's sudden change of mood.

As if he'd read Kira's mind, Obi-Wan turned to the Padawans. "Why don't you two go help retrieve the bombs? You look like you could use something to do."

Cadena silently rose, and Kira stood, grateful. "Of course, Master. Should we meet back here when we're finished?"

"Yes. We'll be waiting," Obi-Wan replied.

"We won't be long," Kira said. "Come on, Cadena." She started off down the corridor toward the DNA chambers.

Cadena didn't take long to catch up, and Kira spoke as soon as they were walking side by side. "Alright, what's wrong?" she asked.

"What do you mean, what's wrong?" Cadena snapped, not looking up.

Kira raised an eye marking. "When I say 'what's wrong', I'm asking you to tell me what it is that's putting you in such a bad mood."

Cadena sighed. "I'm sorry, Kira," she said. She activated her comlink and checked the map that had been transmitted to the device earlier. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Everybody does things they don't want to do sometimes," Kira said as the girls turned the corner and made their way into the DNA chamber. "Besides, it might help if you told me. I know it helps when I talk to Master Kenobi."

"At least your Master actually likes you," Cadena muttered angrily. She shut off the comlink a little more forcefully than she needed to.

"Now what's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

Kira stepped in front of Cadena and crossed her arms. "Spill it, Cadena."

"You wouldn't understand." Cadena turned around and started looking for the bombs.

Kira could tell her friend wasn't fully focused on her work. "Please tell me."

Cadena turned to face Kira. "What do you think of Anakin? And tell me truthfully."

Whatever Kira had been expecting, it wasn't that. "He's alright, I suppose," she said. "I believe he takes risks that shouldn't be taken at times, but he is an excellent general. All in all, he seems like a good man. Why do you ask?"

Cadena crouched to reach for a bomb hidden under the controls of the storage unit in front of her. "Sometimes I need to remind myself that he's not that bad and I should be grateful to be his apprentice. And I am, I truly am." She sighed heavily. "I just don't think he likes having me as his Padawan."

"Why would you say that?" Kira asked, shocked. She knelt beside Cadena and put an arm around her friend. "Of course he likes having you as his Padawan. He kept you, didn't he?"

"Grudgingly. If you remember, the Council basically had to force him to take me on."

"He was upset about Ahsoka, most likely. It had only been two months."

"He's _still _upset about Ahsoka!" Cadena snapped. She threw the bomb to the floor, and it bounced once or twice before falling to the ground. The sound echoed throughout the hollow chamber. "You don't hear him, Kira. You don't hear how he compares me to Ahsoka all the fracking time. 'Ahsoka wouldn't do that, Cadena. Why can't you do this like Ahsoka, Cadena? _Why can't you be more like Ahsoka, Cadena?_'"

Kira gently rubbed Cadena's shoulder to calm her down. "We're all still upset about Ahsoka," she said.

A little over a year before, their friend and fellow Padawan Ahsoka Tano had been falsely accused of bombing the Jedi Temple and therefore committing sedition against the Republic and the Order. The Council had expelled her from the Order and turned her over to the Senate to be tried. If Anakin hadn't proved the evidence against Ahsoka false and turned in Barriss Offee, the true perpetrator, Ahsoka would've been sentenced to death. The entire ordeal had erased any trust she may have had in the Council, and when given the chance to return to the Order, she had refused. Cadena and Anakin especially had been affected by that decision. Ahsoka had taken a special interest in Cadena as a youngling and had been the closest thing she'd had to a Master for a long time, and Anakin had been Ahsoka's Master before she left. Their reactions to her departure were somewhat similar, both of them left shocked and disbelieving.

"Well, he doesn't need to take it out on me," Cadena muttered, slumping to her knees. "I just want to make him proud."

"Hey." Kira shifted to look at Cadena's face. "I think he's very proud of the fact that he can call you his Padawan."

Cadena looked up. "Really?"

"Of course."

"Thanks."

"Now come on." Kira hoisted Cadena to her feet. "Let's find these blasted bombs, shall we?"

Cadena laughed. "I guess we should."

So that's what they did. Before long, the girls had collected all the bombs in the DNA chambers and made a small pile of them. It didn't surprise Kira that the Separatists had been targeting the area, but she was relieved that the plot had failed.

"I think that's the last of them," Cadena said as she set one more bomb on top of the pile.

Kira's comlink went off before she could answer, and she raised her wrist to her face. "Kira here."

"Kira, the clones have spotted Separatist ships," came Obi-Wan's voice through the comlink. "We're going to regroup in the entrance hangar. You and Cadena need to get there as soon as possible."

"Master, what about the bombs?"

"Leave them. Without the-"

Static interrupted Obi-Wan and made it difficult for Kira to hear his words. "Master! Master Kenobi, come in!" she exclaimed.

Nothing.

Frustrated, Kira cut off the comlink. Cadena looked concerned. "They jammed our communications, didn't they?" she asked.

Kira nodded. "We need to find the others."

"Then let's get going. We'll need to hurry," Cadena said.

"Agreed."

With that, the girls hurried out of the room, leaving the bombs behind per Obi-Wan's orders.

* * *

><p>Clones rushed through the halls with blasters strapped to their hips and small cannons clutched to their chests as the two girls made their way to the rendezvous, unnoticed. Kira was able to get a quick glimpse of the arriving Separatist frigates through a window.<p>

Soon, they met up with Obi-Wan, Anakin, and some of the clones. Kira asked the first question that popped into her mind. "Have the squadrons on the _Resolute _been called yet?" she asked Obi-Wan.

The older Jedi nodded. "They're on their way. It will be a problem if they cannot make it into the city, but their cloaking devices are up and running. They should get through without detection."

A garbled recorded message explaining what to do in an emergency blared throughout the hangar, getting lost in the chaos of preparation for battle. Red emergency lights powered up and replaced the typical gray lighting, and the blast doors protecting the facility lowered to the ground, blocking any outside activity from view. The clones hid themselves behind crates and unused gunships to prep their weapons.

"How long do you think it'll be?" Cadena shouted to Anakin above the mixture of voices.

The older man shrugged carelessly, but his concerned features betrayed him. "It's hard to say, Cadena," he shouted back.

An unpleasant shiver suddenly ran down Kira's spine as a presence nearby stirred up the Force disturbingly. "Master," Kira called. "Something's coming."

"It's Dooku," Obi-Wan replied. "I sense him, too. Do your best to ignore it."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Anakin commented, his hand on the hilt of his lightsaber.

"Don't you always, Master?" Cadena teased dryly.

Kira just barely heard Obi-Wan's comlink go off under the rest of the noise in the room, and she most certainly didn't hear what the caller told her Master. He had to yell the news to the rest of them. "Stay away from the walls!" he ordered. "They've got assult craft again!"

Kira silently thanked the Force that someone had fixed their communications and let them know what was coming.

Anakin groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead. "You have got to be kidding me."

Kira glanced from her Master to Anakin, then Cadena. "Shouldn't we go and help take them out?" she asked, figuring that helping cut down tinnies outside would be much more useful than holing up in the entrance bay.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "We need to hold the facility, Kira."

Kira had a sneaky feeling that she was about to get a lesson in patience. She turned out to be right, for they waited in the bay for a long time. The clones finally settled into a tense silence; soon they could hear the fight going on outside. The ground shook under their feet every time an assault craft used its gigantic arms to knock something - or someone - down. Kira had to close her eyes at the feeling of so many Force signatures going out at once.

Suddenly, a loud roar sounded right above their heads. Kira was tempted to cover her ears, but Obi-Wan, however, knew exactly what the sound was. "Take cover!" he called. Kira followed him behind a crate and ignited her lightsaber, ready to fight whatever was coming.

Sure enough, the drill of an assault craft punctured the ceiling. Debris fell from the ceiling and made seeing a difficult task as the craft deployed a new army of aqua droids.

That's when the battle began.

Blaster bolts surrounded the Jedi, who easily blocked the oncoming blasts with their lightsabers. Some of the droids were stupid enough to get too close, and they were promptly cut in two. Anakin quickly became rather impatient and dove out from behind his cover, plowing straight into the squad of droids. Cadena was close behind, her lightsaber swinging mercilessly through any droid Anakin missed.

Just when it seemed things were beginning to calm down, another drill burst through the blast door and deployed another squad. Kira and Obi-Wan concentrated on that one while Anakin and Cadena finished off the first squad. With the help of the clones, the group was able to keep the droids contained.

Finally the two squads had been turned into scrap metal, and the Jedi deactivated their lightsabers. Obi-Wan was the first to regain his breath. "We should split up," he said. "The Padawans will stay here and hold the entrance bay. Anakin and I will go and secure the barracks and DNA chambers."

"Um, excuse me?" Anakin interrupted. "While I'm all for splitting up, I don't think we should leave the Padawans alone. Dooku is still out there somewhere."

"Master, I could take him on by myself if I had to," Cadena said.

Anakin raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Don't get cocky, my young Padawan. I've faced Dooku in combat before. Why do you think we haven't turned him over to the Senate yet?"

"As interesting as this is," Obi-Wan interrupted them before Cadena could think up a clever retort, "we'll have plenty of time to argue later. Kira, you'll come with me. Cadena, you'll stay with Anakin. Understood?"

"Yes, Master," Kira replied.

Cadena nodded, but she didn't look too happy about it.

"Good." Obi-Wan turned to go, then turned back around. "May the Force be with you both."

"And with you," Anakin replied, nodding to both Obi-Wan and Kira. Kira bowed before turning around to follow Obi-Wan out of the bay and into the corridor.

* * *

><p><strong>Battle scenes. Not my specialty, unfortunately, so I'm sorry if I completely botched it. <strong>

**Kira: *scrolling through tablet* When are you going to upload more songs? You've got what, twenty dollars on Google Play? Besides, we need to start doing that song a chapter thing again.**

**Me: I thought you hated when we did that.**

**Kira: Well, I did, but now I sort of miss it.**

**Anakin: *yawn* I don't like it unless we get to pick the songs.**

**Me: Not after last time. Last time I let you pick the song, you picked a song you KNOW I hate. **

**Cadena: Pleeeeeease? We won't do it again!**

**Obi-Wan: Anakin? Will you behave?**

**Anakin: *inspects fingernails* I'm not making any promises.**

**Kira: That's probably the best we're going to get.**

**Me: Agreed. For that, Anakin, you must now do the review notice. **

**Anakin: *groan* Review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. **

**Me: You forgot to say please. **

**Anakin: Who cares?**

**Kira: Can I pick the first song?**

**Me: Sure.**

**Tablet: So wake me up when it's all over, when I'm wiser and I'm older...**

**Me: Good choice. Well, thanks for clicking in, everyone! May the Force be with you always! :)**


	6. Did You Think It All Through

**'ello, peoples of the earth! **

**Happy Friday, guys! Thank you Zenkid100, Lux's Sister, Sukila, katierosefun, alexhacker39, and CaylithTheGolden for reviewing! Typically I hate it when my tablet keeps beeping with email alerts, but when I checked and saw you guys had reviewed, any annoyed feelings I had morphed into happiness. Thank you. :)**

**In answer to Lux's Sister's question: Not quite. Ahsoka is not going to return in this series (although she might show up when Order 66 comes around) like she did in the Begin Again series. In my mind, this story takes place between _ Treacherous _and _Starlight. _(Cadena's a few years older than Kira. I'd say she's about fifteen in this story, while Kira is twelve.) So yeah. Sorry to disappoint. **

**Now, without further ado, I present Chapter 6 of Bad Blood. Hope y'all enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p>Obi-Wan and Kira hurried outside onto the platform that held Tipoca City above the treacherous waves and raced toward the barracks. A few clones that stood outside acting as lookouts waved them inside.<p>

Kira hadn't kept her eyes off the platform for long, as she did not wish to slip off and fall, but she was horrified at the destruction she had seen. Crumbling buildings and cracked platforms had met her eyes as she'd run through the rain, and she couldn't help but imagine how the lives of the Kaminoans that used those things had been torn apart with the city.

"Kira?"

Obi-Wan's voice snapped Kira out of her thoughts. Looking up, she noticed that the door was still open. She mentally facepalmed as she pressed the button to close it.

Cody stood next to Obi-Wan, his helmet tucked under his arm. He looked exhausted. "We've done everything we can," he said just as Kira joined them. "The Kaminoans ordered us to send out all the men we can, but they need rest. We're losing many men in this battle, General."

Obi-Wan nodded gravely. "We are grateful for everything you've done. Are there any fresh men ready to mobilize?"

Cody perked up slightly. "I managed to keep back a few squadrons," he reported.

"Good. We'll have to do this in rotations," Obi-Wan said. "Call back a few squadrons and send in the fresh troops. I'm sure your men are aching to take back their home."

That earned a smile. "That they are, General," Cody said. "They practically begged me to allow them to go out on the field."

"And we'll send in another commander," Obi-Wan said. "You look like you could use some rest yourself, Cody."

Cody tried to protest. "But sir -"

"No buts. Get some rest, and that's an order."

Kira grinned as Cody gave up the fight, knowing it was futile to argue with Obi-Wan. "No worries, Cody," she said. "You'll be back out there turning the clankers to scrap metal in no time."

Cody gave Kira a quick salute. "Thanks, kid." Then he left to climb into a bunk.

Obi-Wan sighed a little, betraying that he was tired as well. However, Kira knew that he would not admit that he was tired or feeling unwell unless it was a dire situation, and even then he might need some prodding. "Master? Are you all right?" she asked.

"Of course, Kira," Obi-Wan replied, as Kira suspected he would.

The Padawan stood up a little straighter. "Maybe you should get some rest, too, Master," she said. "I could lead the new troops until you're feeling better."

"It's quite a tempting offer," Obi-Wan said, smiling a little. "But I'm afraid you need to stay behind, my young apprentice. Things tend to happen in a war zone, as you well know, and we'll need fresh commanders, especially in an emergency. I'll contact you when it's time for you to return to the field."

As much as Kira wanted to push a little more, she held her tongue. "Yes, Master," she said.

Obi-Wan stood from the bench on which he had been sitting. "Your time will come. In the meantime, you should get some rest as well. Don't worry about me or the clones, all right?"

"I'll try, Master."

"Do or do not, Kira. There is no try."

Kira shook her head at the saying and waved to her Master as he pulled on his cloak and made his way back outside into the pouring rain. He waved back before the door slid shut behind him.

* * *

><p>Kira knew she should stay alert in case the Separatists tried to take the barracks, but after a few hours of waiting, it was only natural for her to feel at least a little sleepy. Cody, now awake and well-rested, tried to interest her in a game of dejarik, but Kira declined. Instead, she fiddled with her comlink as she waited for news and listened to the clones' small talk.<p>

Cody sighed as he seated himself beside Kira, who drew her knees up to her chest. "You've got to relax, kid," he said. "They'll be fine."

Kira glanced up. "Look who's talking," she retorted. "I can sense your concern, you know."

"I'm talking to both of us."

Kira glanced out the window just as a drill crashed into another part of the facility. She frowned. She knew for a fact that there was nothing important over there - well, nothing that the Separatists would want. There were no plans or DNA for them to steal, so why would they deploy a unit of droids to hold that area?

Cody followed her gaze. "What is it?" he asked.

Kira shook her head. "Nothing," she said. Then she changed her mind. "What's over there, Cody?"

"In the south quadrant? The generators that keep Tipoca City from sinking."

Kira thought for a moment. "Is there any reason the droids would go over there?"

"None that I can think of."

Kira would've said more if her comlink hadn't gone off right at that moment. She hurriedly pressed the button as she sat up. "Kira here."

"Commander Narro," Trapper answered. "We're bringing the General back. He's in no position to fight right now."

"What happened?"

"He fell over the side into the water. He's fine, but he needs to rest and get some nutrients into his system."

"Of course. I'll be ready when you return."

"Gather some fresh troops as well. There's a squad coming back with us."

"Copy that. Kira out." Kira shut off the comlink and looked up at Cody. "You heard him," she said. "Help me round up the troops. It's time to get the clankers off Kamino once and for all."

Cody grinned. "It would be my pleasure, Commander."

By the time Kira and Cody had prepared the men, the door hissed open and admitted Obi-Wan's squadron. Trapper had one arm around Obi-Wan's waist to hold him up. The general was soaking wet.

"Oh, Master," Kira murmured, rushing to help Obi-Wan to the bench. He tried to wave her off, but she wasn't having that. She didn't let go of him until he was settled on the bench, and a clone, Crys, peeled off Obi-Wan's dripping cloak. Kira handed her own cloak to Trapper, who stood nearby. "Once General Kenobi dries off, please give him that to help him warm up."

"Yes, ma'am."

As much as Kira suddenly did not like the idea of leaving the barracks, where she could watch over Obi-Wan, she knew she had a job to do. So after saying goodbye to her Master and appointing Trapper to help keep an eye on him, Kira led the next squad outside into the pouring rain, Cody marching at her side.

* * *

><p>The squad reclaimed Obi-Wan's old post at the DNA chambers. The troopers that had been left behind to keep the area secure were obviously relieved when Kira granted them leave to return to the barracks, even though she had to practically order one or two to return.<p>

The clones' loyalty was admirable, but there was good reason for their relief. Droids kept coming in waves; Kira was surprised that the guards had not been overwhelmed by the sheer number of clankers. Luckily, a lightsaber, rested troops, and big guns made their task much easier.

"Twenty-four," Cody said smugly as his blaster rendered the last droid of the wave useless.

Kira rolled her eyes. "I thought we agreed not to do that anymore."

"Come on," Cody said, grinning. "Don't tell me you weren't counting."

Kira sighed in reply but answered Cody's implied question. "Thirty-one."

"Liar."

Kira pretended to be offended. "Cody, you wound me!" she cried, dramatically flinging a hand over her forehead. Clones nearby chuckled at the display.

Cody strapped his blaster into his holster. "Fine. You won and I bruised your ego." Ignoring Kira's overly exaggerated gasp, he continued, "So we'll call it even."

"Deal." Kira became serious again as she glanced around at the clones that had been killed during the battle.

Cody looked up from his dead brothers. "Droids at two o'clock!" he shouted, snapping Kira's - and the clones' - attention back to the corridor. Flashes of blue and red began to whiz past, and Kira turned her head to make certain the door to the DNA chambers was shut.

"Eat laser, clankers!" a clone yelled as he shot down six droids in a row. This impressive display caught the attention of the droids, who began to turn their fire on the clone. Kira took the oppurtunity to call on the Force and leap right in front of the droids. She gave the front line a cheerful wave before swinging her lightsaber and cutting the heads off the droids closest to her in one neat swipe.

A terrible creaking noise startled both sides, and Kira had just enough time to puzzle over what could possibly be making that noise before the floor under her cracked in two. She shrieked as she fell and luckily grabbed onto the edge just in time to escape death. The remaining droids fell through the crack, too, but they were not as lucky and crashed into the churning waves below.

"Commander!" A strong hand grabbed Kira's wrist and held her steady while she pulled herself up with her other hand. When she looked up, she saw it was Cody that had rescued her.

"Thank you," Kira said, her legs a little shaky. She quickly figured out that it wasn't the adrenaline rush that was leaving her unsteady. More cracks spread throughout the floor, and while she didn't know why this part of the facility was breaking apart, she knew she had to get the men - and the DNA - out.

A crack appeared in front of the door to the DNA chamber. Kira panicked. "The DNA!" she exclaimed, beginning to head that way.

A clone Kira knew as Threepwood suddenly emerged from the chamber, the DNA vial in his hand, just in time to hear Kira's cry. "Looking for something, Commander?" he called. He tossed the vial to Kira, who easily caught it with one hand.

The next minute the floor had fallen out from under Threepwood, and he fell onto his back and slid toward the gaping hole that was tearing the platform in half. Kira and other clones were in a similar predicament, for they struggled to regain their footing as their side of the platform began to rise up and turn into a steep slope.

Kira was able to use the Force to make it to the door, which she left open. She concentrated and used the Force to lift up the nearest clone and levitate him to the door. He struggled the entire way but relaxed when he saw that it was just his Commander trying to help out.

Then Kira repeated the process with several other clones that couldn't seem to reach the magnetic clamps on their boots. Cody and many of the others didn't need her help, as they were able to reach the door on their own.

Once everyone was safe, Kira pressed the button and shut the door. Then she turned to Cody. "A Separatist drill didn't cause that."

Cody shook his head. "No, ma'am. If someone wanted to sink Tipoca City, though, they could switch off the generator. But I don't think the Seppies would attempt to try that stunt when so many of their droids are here."

"And that's what they were counting on," Kira said slowly, remembering the drill that had broken into the generator area. She turned to the other men. "We're heading to the generators. Someone thought it would be funny to turn off the gravity supports." She placed a hand on her lightsaber. "We need to let them know that this is not a joke."

The clones were more than eager. "Sir, yes, sir!" they replied.

With that, the group began to move.

* * *

><p><strong>More battle scenes. Bleh.<strong>

**Kira: That's why it took you so long to finish the chapter, right?**

**Me: Yup. Now I'm behind schedule.**

**Kira: Cheer up, Amy! It's Friday! **

**Me: Oh, that's right! IT'S FRIDAY, FRIDAY, GOTTA GET DOWN ON -**

**Obi-Wan: Ahem.**

**Me: Bad time?**

**Cadena: Yeah.**

**Anakin: No Rebecca Black, please! I'm trying to read!**

**Me: YOU, reading!?**

**Cadena: Don't get your hopes up. It's just an instruction manual to some remote control thingy he ordered.**

**Me: That explains the bill Mum got from Amazon! ANAKIN!? Did you hack into my mother's Amazon account?**

**Anakin: Maybe!**

**Me: -_- **

**Kira: If you makes you feel any better, I'll do the review notice. **

**Me: Really? You'd do that?**

**Kira: Sure. Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. Thanks in advance!**

**Me: You're so nice. Do you want to pick the song today?**

**Cadena: Hey, she did it last time!**

**Me: Well, she was nice to me today.**

**Kira: *scrolling through tablet* Ooh, how about this one?**

**Tablet: I'm in heaven when you kiss me, heaven when you kiss me, you were sent to me from wonderland...**

**Me: Thanks for clicking in, peoples! May the Force be with you always!**

**Kira: Isn't this song classified as bubblegum pop?**

**Me: SHH! They don't need to know that!**


	7. Blood Runs Cold

**'ello, peoples of the earth! **

**Well, I'm obviously not posting this at eleven o'clock at night while listening to "Boys Will Be Boys" by Paulina Rubio ... okay, I am. Why, yes, Liberty and James Madison, I spend all my Sunday nights hurrying to write a fanfiction chapter so I can post it on time. **

**Actually, I spend every night like that. Yay me.**

**Thank you to the reviewers - katierosefun, Zenkid100, Lux's Sister, and CaylithTheGolden. By now, y'all are in my tablet's autocorrect system. Thanks for being so loyal! :)**

**Now, without further ado, I present Chapter 7 of Bad Blood. Hope y'all enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p>On the way to the generator room, Kira and the clones encountered more crumbling platforms. Two men slipped off the platforms as the group rushed to the generator area. Needless to say, the troopers of the 212th were quiet and somber by the time they arrived.<p>

They also were not expecting a welcoming party. "Blast them!" a droid ordered after spotting them. The other droids followed the order, and Kira and the clones dove for cover.

"Hand me the poppers!" Cody yelled to a clone nearby, who obediently slipped out of his battle pack and reached inside. He tossed a droid popper into Cody's hands two seconds later.

Kira deflected a blast with her saber. "I'd say this is a good time to use that popper, Cody!" she shouted.

"Couldn't agree more, Commander," Cody replied. He tossed the popper into the midst of the droids. One droid, curious at the squeal coming from the activated popper, picked it up and waved it around just before he and his droid friends were rendered useless by the popper's pulse of electric energy.

_Stupid droids._

A cheer rose up from some of the clones as they continued to shoot the droids that had not been close enough to be affected by the popper. Kira emerged from behind her cover and slashed through some of the remaining droids with her lightsaber.

"There'll be more coming," Kira said when the droids had been taken out. "We'll have to quick to get these supports up and running again."

Kira's answer was a chorus of affirmative grunts. Cody was first to begin moving. "You heard her, men! On the double!" he called, sending the clones into action.

The group hurried the rest of the way to the room holding the generators. Kira posted a few men by the door to keep watch while she, Cody, and a few others went inside to pinpoint the problem.

The problem wasn't too hard to find. Burn marks scorched the front of the generators, and red warning lights flashed on the fronts of the screens. Kira could feel her fist clenching at her side as she assessed the damage. "Dooku," she muttered through gritted teeth.

Cody pressed the emergency button to issue a warning throughout the facility. "We've got to get out of here," he told Kira.

Kira touched one of the burn marks. "Tell me there's a backup," she whispered. "There has to be."

Cody shook his head.

Kira bit her lip. "Then begin the evacuation sequence," she said, knowing there was no way those generators were getting fixed in time. Tipoca City was lost. "Warn the civilian Kaminoans to get aboard transport shuttles immediately. And contact the Generals to let them know."

"Yes, ma'am." Cody moved aside as he pressed the button on his comlink.

Kira patted the DNA vial on her belt to be sure it was still there as she leaned forward to see if there was any way at all the generators could possibly be repaired. Her search yielded no results.

A large cracking sound brought the group's attention to the window. A bridge connecting two platforms split in two right before their eyes and went down. The Kaminoan waves crashed over the broken bridge and separated the remains from the platforms it had previously connected.

Kira hadn't noticed how quickly the city had been approaching the ocean until just then.

Cody approached, sweat beading his brow. "Shuttles are evacuating the clones and swinging around to pick up civilians as we speak," he reported. "General Skywalker claims he's found a way to rewire control of the supports to the control center inside."

Kira's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "That's suicide! What is he thinking!?"

"He would not be persuaded, Commander."

Kira desperately wanted to berate Anakin for this. Instead, she stood calmly with her hands clasped behind her. "What about Commander Cadena? Is she all right?"

"He's sending her and the boys from the 501st to our location. He told me to be sure to get them aboard a shuttle."

"And General Kenobi?"

"The shuttles haven't arrived at the barracks yet."

_Great. Just one more thing to worry about. _"Good work, Cody. Prep the men for evacuation."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

><p>By the time the 501st troops and Cadena arrived at the generator area, waves were already starting to splash over the bridges and make their way into the actual buildings. They were drenched with ocean spray as well as rainwater.<p>

"The city's deserted," Cadena told Kira. "At least everyone evacuated." She looked down at the destroyed supports.

Kira glanced at the floor when she felt something wet cover her boots. "We've got to get out of here," she said when she realized the ocean had gotten into the building.

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Cadena started moving in the door's direction. "Men! We're leaving!"

The troopers didn't argue. Instead, they followed Cadena outside onto the still intact bridge, Kira bringing up the rear. A few large waves crashed over the group and soaked them all. Kira absentmindedly wondered how many men would have to report to the medbay for hypothermia. The water was absolutely freezing.

A now familiar cracking noise sounded right under their feet. Kira immediately took action. "Go, go, go!" she ordered, prompting Cadena and the clones to run.

Minutes later, most of the group were waiting safely on the other platform. More cracks appeared on the bridge, and Kira pushed the trooper in front of her onto the platform before the bridge fell out from under her feet.

Kira heard Cadena scream her name just before she hit the water.

Salt immediately stung Kira's eyes, and she struggled to open them, just as she struggled for air. The current pushed her head over heels and made it impossible to tell which way was up and which way was down. Blindly, Kira reached for something solid to hold on to and found nothing but freezing, dirty water.

Kira was able to force her eyes open to see gray light above her head. She made a desperate attempt to swim upwards toward the light until her vision became fuzzy and her head began to pound. The muscles in her arms weakened from the exercise, and her lungs screamed for air. Finally Kira had to try to breathe and ended up inhaling a large amount of water that caused her to choke.

Just when Kira was about to give in to the inevitable state of unconsciousness, her hands limply reached to propel her upwards a little more, and they broke the surface of the water. Kira's head followed, her legs moving a little to keep her above the water as she coughed and sputtered out the water she'd ingested.

Voices above her caught Kira's attention. She looked up to see Cadena and some clones at her side leaning over the edge of the platform. Cadena stretched her arms out, and the Force surrounding her surged. Kira was suddenly pulled from the water and levitated toward the platform .

When Kira was safely on the platform, she began coughing again. Cody pounded her back to help her expel all the water from her lungs. Cadena draped her cloak over Kira's shoulders while the clones gathered around in concern.

At last Kira was able to stutter out some words. "You should've gone ahead," she gasped.

"Not without you," Cadena replied, helping Kira stand up as the younger girl coughed some more. "Do you think you can make it to the shuttles?"

Kira nodded.

"Then let's get going. Men, let's move out."

The group started moving again with Cody leading the way, as Cadena was a little busy fussing over Kira. Despite protests that she was all right now and didn't need so much attention, Cadena refused to relent. Instead, she firmly grabbed onto Kira's wrist, sending a clear message that Kira wasn't going anywhere without her.

Soon they reached another bridge - or the remains of what used to be another bridge. Cody turned to face the rest of the group. "We'll have to take the long way around," he reported.

Kira nodded in response. "Contact General Kenobi to let him know we're on the way. He's probably worried."

Before Cody could follow the order, Cadena's comlink went off. She sighed heavily. "That would be Anakin," she said before she pressed the button. "Cadena here."

"Cadena, where are you?" demanded an angry, worried Anakin Skywalker from the other side of the call. "I contacted the _Resolute _to make certain you made it safely, and Admiral Yularen said you'd never even arrived!"

Cadena rolled her eyes. "We're on the way, Master. We just got, um, delayed."

"Delayed how?"

"Bridge trouble."

"Well, hurry up and get to a shuttle. I know for a fact that there's a few waiting for you to board. And if you happen to see Obi-Wan, tell him to board a shuttle, too. The old man's going to get himself killed doing ... whatever he's doing."

That news didn't sit well with Kira. If Obi-Wan hadn't gotten on a shuttle, that could mean one of two things. Either the Separatists had captured the barracks and now held the occupants hostage or Obi-Wan had engaged the remaining Separatist forces to make his way to the control center to help Anakin. Neither option sounded too pleasant to Kira.

"Yes, Master. We'll be on the _Resolute _soon."

"Make sure you are." The line went dead.

Kira snorted. "Well, isn't Master Skywalker a bundle of sunshine today," she said.

Cadena giggled along. "You're telling me. I'm actually surprised Master Kenobi wasn't the one to make that call."

"Me, too. I would've thought he'd be on board the _Resolute _by now." Kira raised her mental shields to mask her worry.

Cadena studied Kira with a raised eyebrow, and Kira realized that her friend had seen right through her shields. "Do you think he's in trouble?"

Kira nodded slowly. "If I know my Master, that's why he's late."

"Then we should go and help him, shouldn't we?"

Kira's first impulse was to say that they should follow orders and board a shuttle to the _Resolute, _but she hesitated. She didn't want to leave without knowing Obi-Wan was safe, but she knew that whatever trouble Obi-Wan had gotten into would risk the men as well as herself and Cadena. For a moment the two parts of her - the part that wanted to rescue Obi-Wan and the part that wanted to follow orders - fought a silent battle in her brain.

Cadena put an arm around Kira. "There are times when you have to ignore the orders. Or at least delay them," she said, again seeing through Kira's shields.

Kira didn't answer. She had closed her eyes to concentrate on reaching out with the Force and searching for Obi-Wan. A wave of disappointment made its way over their Master-Padawan bond, and Kira's eyes popped open. "Entrance bay," she said. "Master Kenobi's there."

"Then let's not waste any time." Cadena raised her voice. "Boys! Change of plan! We're going to take a _little _detour to the entrance bay. The General needs our help!"

Despite the immediate response of "Yes, sir!" and loss of questions, Kira could sense the men's confusion. She shrugged it off. "You heard her, men! Let's move!"

* * *

><p>Inside the entrance bay, a sigh of relief swept the entire group when they encountered no cracking sounds and a warm and dry environment. It seemed that the effects of the loss of gravity supports had not yet reached the bay.<p>

However, there was something to worry about. As soon as she stepped foot inside, Kira had felt a dark presence awaiting their arrival. She leaned toward Cadena. "Do you feel it?" she asked.

Cadena nodded gravely. "I think this is a little more danger than we anticipated. Maybe we can board the shuttle and get the pilot to swing around back here and pick up Master Kenobi?"

Kira shook her head. "That would take too long. Besides, this was your idea, remember? I'm not going back now."

Cadena bit her lip. "Okay."

"Then let's go." Kira called to the men. "Search the area and alert me immediately if you find anything. We'll go in pairs." Then she turned back to Cadena. "I'll see you in a little while."

Cadena nodded. "May the Force be with you, Kira."

Kira smiled. "May the Force be with you, Cadena."

* * *

><p><strong>I guess this could be classified as a cliffie, but maybe not. I dunno. Trust me, I thought about leaving y'all hanging on a REAL cliffie, but I didn't because I'm nice. :P<strong>

**Kira: That's debatable. **

**Me: Shut up. I'm still mad at you.**

**Cadena: Why? Cause she hit you with a dodgeball?**

**Me: No. Because she used the Force to cheat. **

**Obi-Wan: Kira, is this true?**

**Kira: No! I keep telling Amy that I didn't cheat! *glares***

**Anakin: Ooh ... it's going down!**

**Cadena: I'M YELLING TIMBER! XD**

**Anakin: -_-**

**Me: Alright, enough. I'm gonna go get some shut-eye now. Bye. *flops on bed and pulls covers over head***

**Cadena: But you told me I could pick the song today!**

**Me: As long as you don't crank it up to a million decibels, pick the song. I don't care. *fake snores***

**Cadena: *shrug* Let's see...**

**Tablet: Listen to your heart when he's calling for you, listen to your heart, there's nothing else you can do...**

**Obi-Wan: Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. Thank you for your time.**

**Anakin: You did not just give the review notice without being prompted.**

**Obi-Wan: *shrug* She looked exhausted. **

**Me: *muffled* Thanks, Obi, and thanks to y'all for clicking in! May the Force be with you all!**

**Kira: Bye!**


	8. You Left A Really Deep Cut

**'ello, peoples of the earth! **

**I have more reviewers to thank - Zenkid100, CaylithTheGolden, katierosefun, and Lux's Sister, thank you all for your comments! And Zenkid100, I know this wasn't quite what you asked for in your PM, but I think it turned out okay. So yeah.**

**Without further ado, I present Chapter 8 of Bad Blood! Hope y'all enjoy! :)**

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><p>Kira ended up going with Threepwood to search the bay for Obi-Wan. Their search brought them down a corridor that had a few large rooms on either side. Kira studied the layout of the hall, feeling unsure. She was certain this was where Obi-Wan was, but she didn't want to lead Threepwood into danger. The dark presence felt stronger here.<p>

Threepwood, however, was a little too eager. "I'll take the left, you take the right?"

Kira nodded, not having a better idea, and the search was on.

A few minutes and two unsuccessful room surveys went by before Kira's comlink went off. She activated the call. "Kira here."

"Found the General, Commander," Threepwood said. Kira's eyes widened when she realized Threepwood was choking. "He's engaged Count - aah!" Static came through the link.

"Threepwood! Threepwood, come in!" When she received no reply, Kira shut off the comlink, feeling defeated. Maybe she should've listened to Cadena's idea to hitch a ride on a shuttle and have the pilot come here to rescue Obi-Wan.

But Threepwood had died for their cause. Kira resolved to finish what she'd started - _without_ allowing any more men to die.

So Kira crept into the hallway and looked around. It wasn't hard to tell in which room Threepwood had found Obi-Wan, as his helmet had rolled out into the corridor. Kira looked up from the helmet to the open doorway.

There Kira found Threepwood lying in the doorway, his head bent backwards at an awkward angle. Kira couldn't help cringing at the sight.

However, Kira forgot about Threepwood when she glanced into the room itself and saw Obi-Wan sprawled on the floor, his lightsaber hanging limply in his hand and his free arm wrapped around his midsection. Dooku stood over him, his lightsaber raised to deliver the final blow.

Kira didn't think. She forgot her promise to alert Cadena and the others. She forgot that a Jedi shouldn't show emotion. All she knew was that Obi-Wan, the man that had saved her from a lifetime of slavery and had practically raised her since she was eight, was at the mercy of a Sith Lord that would most definitely kill him without a second thought.

_Master, you are not dying today. _That was the only thought that crossed Kira's mind as she activated her lightsaber and rushed Dooku from behind.

Not unexpectedly, Dooku turned around just in time to block Kira's attack, and their lightsabers met with a loud clash. Kira held tight to her lightsaber as Dooku tried to overpower her. "You're not getting away this time, sleemo," she said through gritted teeth.

"Really? I didn't hear you call in reinforcements," Dooku mocked her.

In answer, Kira called on the Force to win the saber lock and push Dooku backwards.

Dooku didn't take long to recover and swing his own saber at Kira. "Your skills have improved since we last met, young one," he commented.

Kira's stomach dropped - he still remembered the incident on Zygerria. She'd hoped he'd forgotten that by now, but no. "I'm not a young one," she retorted, blocking Dooku's attack and returning the blow.

"Oh, but you are," Dooku replied, easily parrying. "You have much to learn."

"Like -" Kira tried again - "what? Master Kenobi has taught me -" she ducked to avoid getting her head slashed off - "rather well."

"Ah, yes. Your loyalty to your Master is to be commended," Dooku said as he once again blocked Kira's swing. She hated his condescending tone. "What a shame you refuse to pledge your loyalty to the superior cause."

Kira swung again. Dooku retaliated with a kick aimed for Kira's chest, but she used the Force to backflip over his head. The end of her saber did not catch his neck on the way, unfortunately, and Kira took a quick glance at her Master in the split second she had before Dooku lunged again. Obi-Wan was still unconscious. "I think I've made the right choice," she informed the Sith.

Dooku raised his eyebrows as Kira parried his swing and resumed her offensive stance. "Have you, now?" he asked.

"Without a shadow of a doubt."

"Then you will die." Dooku took the offensive side once more and pointed his saber in such a way that it slid right under Kira's and flipped it out of her hand. It clattered to the floor as Kira ducked and dodged Dooku's swings.

At last, Kira found an opening and flipped backwards to buy some time to retrieve her lightsaber. She reached out her hand, and the lightsaber jumped into her palm. However, when she activated the weapon again, she found that she'd accidentally pulled it into a reverse position.

Kira didn't have enough time to change grips. _Good thing I've been practicing. _Instead, she blocked Dooku's swing with the reverse grip, ducked to avoid the red blade, and aimed for his midsection. Her blade nearly made it home before Dooku pushed back.

At that moment, Kira heard Obi-Wan's voice. "Kira, what do you think you're doing!?" he called.

"What does it look like, Master?" Kira called back. She parried, jumped, and used Dooku's forehead as a springboard to leap across the room. There she could easily see her Master, who was now sitting up. He looked terrified, and Kira wondered why. "A thank you might have been nice!"

A small smile tugged at the corners of Obi-Wan's mouth, but it faded when Kira's and Dooku's lightsabers clashed again. "That's enough, Dooku!" he exclaimed, slowly standing and activating his own saber.

"I don't think so," Dooku replied. Kira, angered, swung harder, trying to knock the saber from Dooku's hand. "I'm having too much fun with your little apprentice."

"I'm not something to be played with." Kira struck the lower edge of Dooku's lightsaber, attempting to cut the hilt in half, but that idea failed.

"On the contrary, my dear." Kira cringed inside at Dooku's words. "I think you're rather enjoying this game, aren't you?"

"If this is a game, then I will enjoy it immensely when I win," Kira shot back. She swung for Dooku's shoulder this time, but he blocked her attack.

Dooku raised his other hand, and lightning shot out of his palm. Kira held up her lightsaber to keep from getting roasted; it was difficult to keep the lightsaber steady when the electricity pouring out of Dooku's hand was heading directly into the blade. "You will not win this game," Dooku growled. "I will."

Kira's arms began to shake from the strain of resisting the electricity. _Come on, Master. Any time you want to help me out would be nice. _At last, Dooku's electricity overpowered Kira's strength, and she shrieked as the electric sting coursed through her body.

When finally the pain ceased, Kira fell to the ground, weakened but not ready to give up. She blinked to clear the yellow dots from her vision and looked up to see that Obi-Wan had engaged Dooku and distracted his attention so she could recover. Kira took advantage of the oppurtunity, propped herself up with a trembling arm and reached for her lightsaber, which she had dropped.

While Kira struggled to stand, she realized that water had begun to leak into the room and that the floor was slightly less level than it had been where she'd initially stepped inside. Before she entered the fight with Dooku again, she closed her eyes and silently willed Cadena to figure out what was happening to the building and get herself and the men to a shuttle. Then she stood up and activated her lightsaber.

Soon enough, Kira was beside Obi-Wan, ready for whatever Dooku could throw at them. He attacked Kira first, his lightsaber a blur and difficult to defend against. However, with the help of the Force, Kira managed to block Dooku's attacks.

Next Dooku swung at Obi-Wan, turning only to stop Kira from decapitating him with her own lightsaber. Eventually Dooku found a split second between clashes to use the Force to lift Obi-Wan into the air and choke him while Kira stared in horror. When she came to her senses and finally leaped forward to run Dooku through, she was only able to distract him from her Master. Obi-Wan lay on the floor gasping for breath, unable to help her.

It did not escape Kira's notice that the water level had risen to her ankles as she and Dooku fought. Blue and red clashed in a blur, the whirlwind growing faster as the battle progressed. Sweat beaded Dooku's forehead, and Kira had to fight to keep from slipping on the slick floor.

In a move so quick Kira nearly missed it, Dooku swung his saber at her chest. She saw the blow coming and knocked the blade off course, but her timing was a little off. Dooku drove his saber right through Kira's kneecap.

As Kira fell backwards into the water, fire shot up her upper leg. She screeched in pain and attempted to get up, but her injured knee couldn't support her weight, and she crumpled to the ground. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes from the awful sensation. When she looked up, she found Dooku standing over her, his lightsaber ready to strike her down.

Kira closed her eyes and waited, knowing there was nothing she could do. A wave of grief came through the Force from Obi-Wan, who had recovered and was now running toward them. Kira knew he wasn't going to make it in time, and a single tear fell down her cheek. _I'm so sorry, Master. _

Suddenly, Kira heard the sound of two lightsabers clashing right over her head, and her eyes popped open. Neon green light inches from her neck illuminated the face of Cadena, whose eyes flashed the same color. "Not today, di'kut," she snarled at Dooku as she won the saber lock and proceeded to maneuver him away from Kira.

With the extra time, Kira blinked away the tears and sat up to inspect her knee. It didn't look good. Blood dripped from the wound into the now knee-high water. She placed her hand near the wound and pressed down to apply pressure, wincing as another jolt of pain shot up her leg.

Obi-Wan reached Kira and knelt beside her, gently removing her hand from her knee so he could take a look at the wound. "Can you walk?" he asked as he began tearing a piece from the bottom of his tunic.

"I don't know," Kira gasped.

Obi-Wan nodded and tied the strip of fabric around Kira's knee. "That'll have to do for now," he said. He wrapped an arm around Kira's waist and helped her stand up. She held tight to her Master's arm, wincing when her knee gave out and made her slip. Obi-Wan caught her just in time. "We've got to get out of here," he said. "Anakin's gone to pick up the shuttle."

"What about Cadena?" Kira asked, straining to look over her shoulder at Cadena, who was dodging a series of blows from Dooku.

"She'll distract Dooku until the last minute, I think," Obi-Wan replied. "Now, lean on me. The shuttle will be arriving any minute."

As if on cue, Anakin ran inside the room, splashing through the water as he went. "It's waiting outside," he called to Obi-Wan. "Get the Padawans out of here!" He activated his lightsaber and ran to take Cadena's place fighting Dooku. After what looked like a small argument between Master and Padawan from across the room, Cadena relented and rushed to meet up with Kira and Obi-Wan.

Cadena gasped when she found Kira clinging to Obi-Wan as if he was a life raft. "I thought it was bad, but I didn't think it was _that _bad," she commented.

"If you would kindly save your comments for later," Obi-Wan said, "we need to get Kira to the shuttle. She needs immediate medical attention, as you can see."

"Right. Okay," Cadena muttered as she hooked Kira's other arm around her waist. "Come on, Kira."

It was slow going to the shuttle. Kira constantly had to stop and shift her wounded leg into a more comfortable position, and every time she hissed in pain, Cadena had to ask what was wrong. By the time the three reached the entrance to the landing bay, Kira was tempted to point out the obvious - that her knee was injured and rather difficult to put weight on.

Needless to say, the three were exhausted when they piled into the shuttle. It took a moment for Anakin to jump into the shuttle after them. Kira realized that he must have been watching them to make sure they got out. "Took you long enough," Anakin said to Obi-Wan, who had had Kira lay on the small bunk in the shuttle so he could take a closer look at her wound.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan replied with a sigh. After that, he said nothing more to his former apprentice. Instead, he discarded the makeshift bandage they'd made, then tended to Kira's knee as best he could with the medical kit in the back of the shuttle. When he finished, he sat on the bench at Kira's bedside. "Rest now, young one," he said.

Kira couldn't deny that she was exhausted, but she didn't want Obi-Wan to sit with her for the entire ride back to Coruscant. "Master, I'll be fine," she said. "Don't you have other priorities?"

Obi-Wan gently squeezed Kira's hand. "You are my highest priority, Padawan," he said. "Now rest. You look like you need it."

Seeing that it was futile to argue, Kira closed her eyes and was asleep within minutes.

* * *

><p><strong>TOLD YOU, CAROLINE! I TOLD YOU I HAD PLANS! HA! HA! HA!<strong>

**Kira: Are you okay?**

**Me: Probably not, but who cares? **

**Obi-Wan: Is this part of your so-called "Moffat War"? **

**Me: Yup! Sorry, Kira, but I planned this a few months ago. **

**Kira: You ... you ... *stalks out of the room***

**Me: Well, that's better than Cadena's reaction to the end of I Know Places. **

**Obi-Wan: Oh, yes.**

**Me: Well. Would you do the review notice? **

**Obi-Wan: Certainly. Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. **

**Me: Thanks, Obi-Wan. Any song requests?**

**Obi-Wan: I suppose the one about the stranger?**

**Me: Ooh, The Stranger! That's a classic.**

**Tablet: Well, we all fall in love, but we disregard the danger...**

**Me: Well, thanks for clicking in, everybody. May the Force be with you always! Obi? Want to go find your wayward Padawan?**

**Obi-Wan: Not necessarily, but we probably should.**

**Me: Then let's go. Bye, guys! *waves***


	9. Band-Aids Don't Fix Bullet Holes

**'ello, peoples of the earth! **

**Thank you to the reviewers Zenkid100, Lux's Sister, and katierosefun for reviewing! Lux's Sister, I am pleasantly surprised that you know the Moffat War term. Have you ever been a part of one?**

**I should warn y'all - this is a short chapter. I mean, it's a chapter set in the medbay. Everyone knows there's nothing to do in a medbay. **

**I now present Chapter 9 of Bad Blood! Hope y'all enjoy! :)**

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><p>When Kira woke up, she found herself in the medbay of the <em>Resolute. <em>Obi-Wan was seated beside her, lost in his thoughts until he saw that Kira was awake. "Hello, Kira," he greeted her.

Kira stretched, then regretted that idea when her knee protested. "Hey, Master. How long was I out?"

"About three hours, which is not nearly enough rest for you."

Kira resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that. "I take it Master Skywalker was unsuccessful in his mission?"

Obi-Wan nodded. "Tipoca City was lost."

Kira offered a half smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "Bet the Senate is going to have a cow when they hear about that."

Obi-Wan chuckled lightly. "The surviving Kaminoans will have much to do to rebuild the city, and it will take a long time for the facilities to be operational. However, you saved precious time by taking the DNA with you. Now the Kaminoans won't have to search for another donor."

Kira was confused. "What do you mean, Master?"

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "I found a container from the DNA chambers on your belt."

Now Kira remembered. She also remembered the trooper that had retrieved the DNA in the first place and died later in the battle. "Oh."

Obi-Wan changed the subject. "The medical team looked at your knee," he told her. "The blow shattered your patella. They were lucky to stop the bleeding." He laid a hand on Kira's shoulder. "You shouldn't have engaged Dooku, Kira. You could have died."

"He was about to kill you, Master," Kira protested. "I couldn't let him." _And I never would've forgiven myself if he had._

Some emotion Kira couldn't place flashed across Obi-Wan's face. He opened his mouth to say something, then he changed his mind and swallowed whatever it was he was going to say. Instead he gently squeezed her shoulder.

Kira broke the silence that followed. "Can the doctors fix my knee?"

"Not here," Obi-Wan replied. "When we arrive on Coruscant, you will be taken directly to the medbay in the Temple for surgery. If that doesn't work, the healers will try to use the Force to heal your knee."

Kira nodded in acknowledgement. "Will I be able to walk again?" she asked.

Obi-Wan sighed. "It's hard to say."

A silence descended over the Master and Padawan, both contemplating the uncertain future. Kira was wondering if the Council might deem her unfit for battle and ship her off to the AgriCorps, and Obi-Wan was thinking, too. Kira could tell, for he was stroking his beard, a nervous habit he performed when he was thinking hard about something.

"Shields, Kira," Obi-Wan said, startling Kira out of her thoughts.

The Padawan felt rather sheepish as she raised her mental shields. She thought she'd kept them up during the mission, and now she wondered if Dooku had been able to tap into her mind and figure out how to aggravate her while they'd fought. "Sorry, Master."

The door hissing open interrupted Obi-Wan's near response, and Cadena walked in, Anakin close behind her. "I told you that three's a crowd, Master," Cadena remarked, looking around the small room. "But did you listen to me? Nope."

"Anakin doesn't like to listen, Cadena," Obi-Wan said. "The sooner you realize this, the easier your life will be."

"Hey!"

Kira had to laugh at Anakin's indignant expression as he continued, "I'm standing right here!"

"We know," Cadena and Obi-Wan said in unison.

Anakin harrumphed. "If you two are going to be like this, I'm leaving," he said. He turned on his heel to leave.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Cadena grabbed Anakin's forearm and stopped him from walking out the door. "We're just joking, Master. Please stay."

Anakin warily glanced from Cadena to Obi-Wan before he relented and grabbed a chair to pull next to Obi-Wan's seat. The chair made a loud squeaking noise as Anakin dragged it over.

Cadena sighed loudly. "Yeah, Master, a headache's really going to help Kira get better," she said.

Anakin responded with a glare.

Cadena shrugged and sat on the edge of Kira's bed, careful not to sit on Kira's leg. "How are you?" she asked, concern replacing all jokes and smart remarks.

Before Kira could reply, a medic walked into the room. "Generals, Captain Rex is looking for you. He says the Council has sent a transmission and is waiting for you to arrive."

Anakin sighed, standing up. "We'll be out there in a moment. Come on, old man," he said to Obi-Wan, who hesitated.

"I'll be here, Master Kenobi," Cadena said, grinning. "Kira will be fine."

Kira offered a smile. "Go on, Master. If I'm correct, you haven't left this room since we boarded the _Resolute. _A few minutes away from the medbay won't kill you."

"All right. We will be back as soon as possible," Obi-Wan said. However, even with this statement, Anakin had to push Obi-Wan a little to get him to leave the medbay.

After the door slid shut behind the two Masters, Cadena turned back to Kira. "So how are you?" she asked again.

Kira sighed. "Long story short, the medics don't know if I'll be able to walk again."

Cadena looked sympathetic. "That bad, huh? I bet Obi-Wan will pull some strings to keep you out of the AgriCorps, though."

Kira shook her head. "I doubt that. You know as well as I do that Master Kenobi does the things the Council asks of him without question. This time will be no different."

Cadena leaned forward as if she was sharing a secret. "I'm not so sure. You know, you were right. This is the first time Obi-Wan has left this room since you were brought here. The man really cares about you, Kira."

Kira glanced over at the door, suddenly wishing Obi-Wan hadn't gone to the meeting.

"Trust me, he'll be back as soon as that meeting is over. In the meantime..." Cadena pulled something from her belt.

Kira's eyes lit up. "Sabacc!" she exclaimed. She did love a good game of sabacc every now and then. "I don't have anything to bet."

"That's okay. Neither do I," Cadena said as she poured the cards out of the box into her hand and shuffled them. "Shall we?"

Kira grinned. "We shall."

* * *

><p>"Sabacc!" Kira said, a grin on her face as she threw down her cards.<p>

Cadena threw down her cards, too, but out of frustration instead of triumph. "Fourth time in a row! I swear you're cheating."

"I'm not! I don't cheat," Kira protested. "How would I cheat at sabacc anyway? You know for a fact I haven't peeked at the deck, and I don't know if there's another way to cheat."

"Apparently there's plenty of ways. Have you heard how many people have been disqualified from the Corellian Sabacc Championship for cheating?" Cadena asked, collecting the cards. "None of the cheaters peeked at the deck."

"Well, I don't listen to rumors from the lower levels," Kira retorted, "so I wouldn't know."

Cadena poked her tongue out at Kira, then shuffled the cards again. She and Kira both looked up, however, when the door hissed open to admit Obi-Wan and Anakin. Anakin perked up when he saw the cards in Cadena's hand. "I didn't know you knew how to play sabacc," he said to her.

"It's my favorite," Cadena said. "Want to join?"

"Unfortunately, we can't," Anakin replied. "The ship has just jumped out of hyperspace. We need to prepare to board a passenger shuttle."

Kira grinned at Cadena. "You'll win next time, yeah?"

Cadena smiled back. "I guess you'll have plenty of time to play."

"Yup. You'll keep me occupied." Kira turned to face Obi-Wan, who stood next to her bedside. "I suppose the clones are on their way?"

"They'll be here shortly," Obi-Wan replied.

As if on cue, Kix, a clone medic, and Trapper stepped into the room with a stretcher. Cadena and Anakin moved aside for them to make their way to Kira, who sat up and waited for them to bring the stretcher closer. Together, Trapper and Obi-Wan lifted her up, carried her to the stretcher, and gently lay her down.

Once Kira was settled, Cadena approached the side of the stretcher as Kix prepared to direct it toward the shuttle. "I'll see you after your surgery," she said. "Then I'll beat you. Just watch."

Kira raised an eye marking, amused. "We'll see about that," she said tiredly before Kix pushed the stretcher out of the medbay.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Kira blinked her eyes open, only to close them again when the bright lights of the medbay blinded her. Her heavy head reminded her that she'd just gotten out of surgery, for she was certain the numbness came from whatever drugs the healers had given her.<p>

When Kira's eyes adjusted to the brightness, she opened them again to see Obi-Wan and Cadena seated on either side of her. Cadena was the first to notice that Kira was awake. "Hey," she said. "How are you feeling?"

Obi-Wan looked up at the question, eager to hear the answer.

Kira glanced at both of them before she answered. "Sleepy."

Obi-Wan chuckled, and a look of relief spread over his face. "I suppose that'll happen after surgery."

"No kidding." Cadena stood up. "Can I let Caleb in now?"

Kira perked up. "Caleb?" she asked.

Obi-Wan nodded, and Cadena darted out of the room. A few seconds later, she returned with Caleb. He seemed to have grown taller in the time they had been gone.

Caleb reached the other chair first, ignored Cadena's protest of "That's my chair!", and sat down, grabbing Kira's hand in his. "Hey there, Kiki," he said gently.

Kira could feel Obi-Wan's gaze on her and knew she was going to get another lecture on attachments later, but she wasn't going to let Caleb's hand go. His hand warmed up her cold one, and she didn't want to refuse that comfort from her friend. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" she teased.

Caleb laughed. "Oh, yeah. She'll be up and running in no time."

Cadena grinned, and even Obi-Wan had to smile. Kira squeezed Caleb's hand. "That's me. Up and running and taking down droids."

"Running will come later," Obi-Wan said. "The healers were able to fix your knee. However, you will need to stay at the Temple for therapy while your knee heals."

"How long?" Kira asked. She was insanely grateful that she would be able to walk again, but she was curious when that would be.

"Around a year at most."

That was disappointing. "And at least?"

"Eight months."

Cadena shrugged. "That's okay. We can play sabacc while I'm here. And I'm sure Kandra and Sara will want to see you."

"That would be nice."

Caleb squeezed Kira's hand. "I can visit, too. Master Depa still hasn't officially taken me as her Padawan, so I have some free time." Kira gave him a smile at that.

"It will be a difficult injury to overcome," Obi-Wan told Kira. "But I have no doubt that you're up to the task."

As usual, Kira's Master was right. With her friends' encouragement and Obi-Wan's support, she felt as if she was ready for anything.

* * *

><p><strong>I certainly hope that didn't bore you to death. I got bored writing it. <strong>

**Kira: Well, then next time, don't make me nearly lose a limb!**

**Me: I was avenging your predicament in One Moment! By the way, readers, One Moment is an awesome story by katierosefun featuring Kira (no Cadena, sorry) on another solo mission. If you like these stories, you should definitely check it out. **

**Kira: ...you interrupted an argument to advertise that story. Have you no shame?**

**Me: Nope! Besides, I don't like arguing.**

**Obi-Wan: Neither do I. **

**Me: Says the Negotiator. **

**Obi-Wan: Negotiations and arguments are two very different things.**

**Me: Yada, yada, yada. **

**Kira: Hey! Don't mock my Master!**

**Me: *shrug* That wasn't exactly mocking. Anyway, who wants to pick the song today?**

**Kira: Me!**

**Me: Okay. *passes over tablet***

**Kira: *scrolls through playlist* *presses button***

**Tablet: Boys will be boys, they like to play around, you shot me with your love-gun, I'm falling to the ground...**

**Me: *facepalm* Do the review notice.**

**Kira: Please review, give feedback-**

**Me: That's Caroline's thing!**

**Kira: Oh, right. Sorry. Please review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. **

**Me: That's correct. Thanks for clicking in, peoples! May the Force be with you always! **

**Kira: *browsing FF* Master, what does PWP mean?**

**Obi-Wan: O.o**

**Me: OKAY, enough browsing for you! *shuts down computer* **


	10. Now We've Got Bad Blood

**'ello, peoples of the earth! **

**This epilogue is the last chapter of Bad Blood, so surprise, I guess! For the final time, thank you Zenkid100, katierosefun, Lux's Sister, and CaylithTheGolden for reviewing chapter 9. You guys are awesome sauce. :)**

**Now, I present the tenth and final chapter of Bad Blood! Hope y'all enjoy! :)**

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><p><em>Nine months later<em>

Kira was seated on her bed, scrolling through information on her datapad. Her legs were stretched out in front of her, her left knee covered in a protective pad to prevent bruising or a simple fracture. It had been quite a while since the duel with Dooku, but the healers didn't wish to jeopardize Kira's progress.

Frankly, Kira didn't mind the pad too much. She would prefer to not have to go through the therapy of the past nine months again. She'd had to learn how to walk all over again, putting pressure on her injured knee for as long as she could bear the pain of doing so. She'd also never thought that bending her knee could hurt her so much, but apparently it could.

With the help of Obi-Wan, Cadena, and Caleb, Kira had been able to endure the therapy sessions of the past nine months. It certainly helped when Obi-Wan allowed her to hold onto his hand to steady herself when she was relearning how to walk, and Cadena and Caleb were in the room much of the time, too, to call out encouragement. However, the best feeling came when Kira had become able to walk a considerable distance without help or a rest in the middle of the walk.

In the midst of all this excitement over Kira's therapy, Depa Billaba had, at last, taken Caleb on as her Padawan. Although he was unable to attend Kira's sessions all the time since his new apprenticeship now required that he attend to missions and the like, he was there as often as he could be. Kira was happy for her friend; she knew that his new position pleased him very much.

A quick knock sounded on the door before the person on the other side opened the door without receiving an answer. Caleb walked inside, sporting a large grin. Kira rolled her eyes. "I'd tell you to knock, but at this point, I don't think you'd listen to me," she said as he approached.

"A simple 'hello, it's nice to see you back' would've sufficed," Caleb answered.

Kira let Caleb give her a quick hug before she wiggled free of his embrace. "How did the mission go?"

"Terrible." Caleb sat down on the edge of the bed next to Kira.

Kira raised an eye marking. "You seem awfully happy about that."

"We were fighting the droids on the Ruusanian moons for a week and a half," Caleb explained. "If the mission had been going well, we wouldn't have been allowed to come back and rest. As it is, we've only got two days of leave."

"Who went in your place?"

"Master Secura, I think."

"Ah."

Caleb changed the subject. "I thought maybe you and Cadena would like to run by Dex's this afternoon."

"I can't." Kira wasn't happy to have to decline the offer. "I have to visit the healers' wing again."

Caleb scowled.

"Cheer up." Kira patted Caleb's shoulder as she swung her legs over the side of the bed so she could sit next to him. "Once my knee heals, maybe our Masters will be paired up for a mission."

Caleb shrugged. "It's better than ending up with Master Skywalker and getting dragged into one of his suicide missions." Kira had to laugh at that.

The door hissed opened, this time without even a knock. Kira pressed a hand to her forehead as Cadena stepped inside. "Why can't you two wait for me to say you can come in?"

Cadena sat next to Kira on the other side. "Sorry. Anakin doesn't like to knock, so I guess the habit just rubbed off on me."

"Now, Cadena, you can't blame your Master for everything," Caleb teased.

Cadena stuck her tongue out at Caleb in response. "Hello to you, too, Master Dume. I didn't know you had returned from the front lines."

"Just for two days," Kira put in. "I'm still here, you two. This is my room, you know."

"Correction: it's Master Kenobi's room, too." Cadena nudged Kira's elbow and smirked, pleased with herself.

"You two really are the smart ones today, aren't you?" Kira lamented playfully. "I just might have to kick you out if this keeps up."

"Kira, I thought we were friends," Caleb said, acting offended.

"Relax. She's just kidding." Cadena slung an arm around Kira's shoulders. "Some people just can't take a joke, can they, Kira?"

"Nope."

Caleb huffed. "Still here."

Kira and Cadena glanced at each other before returning their gaze to Caleb. "We know," they said in unison.

Caleb rolled his eyes. "You two are impossible."

"And that's why you love us," Cadena teased, leaning behind Kira a little so she could gently punch Caleb's arm.

"Keep telling yourself that," Caleb said, returning the light punch.

Cadena settled back into her seat. "Master Kenobi was looking for you," she told Kira. "He said Master Unduli got called away on some urgent business in the Karazak system, so your session with her has been canceled for the day."

Kira glanced Caleb's way. "Then I guess I'm free this afternoon after all."

"Free for what?" Cadena asked, leaning forward and watching Caleb expectantly.

Caleb didn't hesitate. "Are you up for a trip to Dex's this afternoon?"

"As long as I don't have to eat anything made with bizi'grina berries," Cadena said happily.

"No promises."

* * *

><p><strong>A little friendship fluff for y'all. (I know that'll probably make you happy, Caroline.) Also, there will be another book in the series, so y'all can keep a lookout for that! The earliest it will be posted will be Saturday, but that's not a promise because I have no idea if I'll have wifi or not. :**

**Kira: But it will be posted between this Saturday and next Saturday. **

**Me: Yup! **

**Obi-Wan: So what exactly happened during that visit to Dex's? I have a feeling that it didn't end well. **

**Kira: Cadena went crazy. **

**Me: Yeah. Caleb tricked her into eating bizi'grina ice cream, she went nuts, and she almost got hit by a speeder. Then she completely trashed the Council room. Kira had to sedate her. The end.**

**Cadena: I still think I would've remembered trashing the Council chambers. **

**Anakin: Well, you don't, so you can't exactly confirm or deny the statement. **

**Cadena: I AM INNOCENT!**

**Kira: Calm down. Nobody's gonna court-martial you or something. **

**Obi-Wan: Master Windu might make you buy him a new chair, though...**

**Me: Enh. We'll deal with him later. Cadena? Want to pick the song?**

**Cadena: Sure! *scrolls through tablet***

**Tablet: Once upon a time, a few mistakes ago, I was in your sights, you got me alone...**

**Me: Well, that's all for now, everybody! If you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn, please review and let me know! **

**All: THANKS FOR CLICKING IN AND MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU ALWAYS!**

**Me: See y'all! *waves***


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